Guides / Importing lithium batteries · Updated 30 September 2026

Importing lithium batteries into Great Britain: transport, customs and producer rules

Lithium batteries are dangerous goods in transit, ordinary goods at customs and regulated products once sold. Here is how the three sets of rules fit together for imports into Great Britain.

This guide is also available in Polish.

Lithium batteries sit where three separate rulebooks meet. They are dangerous goods while they move, ordinary goods at the border, and regulated products once you sell them in the UK. Most problems with battery imports come from treating one of these as the whole job. This guide walks through each layer in the order a shipment meets them.

Layer one: dangerous goods rules while the goods travel

GOV.UK groups dangerous goods into nine UN classes, each assigned according to the substance's predominant hazard, and some classes are split into divisions. Batteries and devices containing them are handled under this system, so before anything moves, someone has to identify the correct classification and the transport conditions that go with it. That responsibility starts with the consignor, not the carrier.

By road: ADR

Road carriage is governed by the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, known as ADR. In Great Britain, ADR is applied through the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (as amended). For a lorry arriving from the EU, that means the same core rulebook applies either side of the Channel, and the load must be compliant from the point of loading, not just once it lands in Great Britain.

GOV.UK also explains that businesses involved in the carriage of dangerous goods must, in most cases, appoint a dangerous goods safety adviser (DGSA). A DGSA must hold a vocational training certificate, obtained after training and passing an examination; in the UK these exams are administered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. If you import batteries regularly, check whether your own business, and not only your haulier, needs one.

By air: CAA oversight

Air cargo is regulated in the UK by the Civil Aviation Authority. GOV.UK notes that air consignments of dangerous goods need dedicated transport documentation, such as a shipper's declaration for dangerous goods under the air rules. The CAA also publishes separate guidance on the carriage of lithium cells, batteries and power banks, and the rules have changed recently, so confirm the current position with your airline or forwarder before booking. Air rules are generally stricter than road rules, and a consignment that is acceptable on a lorry may be refused by an airline.

By sea

If your batteries come in by container, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency enforces the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code. A shipment that travels by sea and then by road must satisfy both sets of rules for each leg.

Layer two: the customs import

At the border, batteries are cleared like any other goods. The GOV.UK import process for Great Britain sets out the core steps:

• Get an EORI number starting with GB.
• Find the commodity code for the goods. It determines the duty rate and whether an import licence is needed.
• Work out the value of the goods, which is used to calculate duty and import VAT.
• Check whether a trade agreement with the country of origin lets you pay less or no customs duty.
• Check whether the goods need a licence or certificate.
• Make the import declaration yourself, or appoint someone to do it for you.
• Pay any customs duty and import VAT. If you are VAT-registered, you may be able to reclaim the import VAT.

Classification needs care. Loose batteries, batteries shipped alongside a device, and a device with a built-in battery can fall under different commodity codes, and the code drives both duty and any licensing check. Use the UK Trade Tariff with the technical description of the product, not just the supplier's invoice wording. Declarations for Great Britain are made in CDS; our guide to the CDS import declaration covers what an agent needs from you. If you appoint an agent under direct representation, you as the importer remain liable for the declaration; under indirect representation the agent is jointly liable.

For the combined transport and customs picture on the road route, including packaging, marking and documents, see the practical ADR guide to importing lithium batteries.

Layer three: battery producer obligations

Many importers miss this layer entirely. Under the waste batteries rules described on GOV.UK, you are a battery producer if you have a UK business presence and you are the first in the selling chain to make batteries available for supply or sale on the UK market. That explicitly includes importers, and it covers batteries inside products as well as batteries sold loose.

Producers must finance the collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of waste batteries, register with the right body, and keep accurate records of the tonnage and chemistry of batteries placed on the market. What registration looks like depends on the battery type and volume:

Industrial and automotive batteries must not be sent to landfill or incineration. When supplying distributors or business end users, producers must show their battery producer registration number on paperwork such as invoices, contracts or delivery notes.

A practical order of work

1. Get the transport classification and test documentation from the manufacturer before you place the order.
2. Choose the mode (road, air or sea) knowing the rules differ, and confirm the carrier will accept the goods.
3. Check whether you need a DGSA.
4. Classify the goods for customs and check duty, preferences and licensing.
5. Decide who files the declaration and under which type of representation. Our page on whether you need a broker can help.
6. Before the first sale, work out your producer category and register on time.

None of these steps is unusual on its own. The risk with lithium batteries is that each one is owned by a different regulator, so nobody checks the whole chain unless you do.

Related guides

• Sending one or two pallets from Poland to the UK

• UK Timber Regulations: importing wood products from Poland and the EU

• Importing furniture from Poland to the UK: a business guide

Sources

• Moving dangerous goods (GOV.UK)
• Import goods into the UK: step by step (GOV.UK)
• Waste batteries: producer responsibility (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.