Moving from Peru to the United Kingdom (2026): Relocation Guide

Moving from Peru to the United Kingdom (2026): Relocation Guide

Key takeaways

• Pets are the longest-lead task. Peru is not on Great Britain’s list of low-rabies countries, so a dog or cat needs a GB pet health certificate and a rabies blood test (blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, result ≥0.5 IU/ml), followed by a three-month wait from the sample date before entry. Dogs also need tapeworm treatment 1–5 days before arrival. Start about four to five months ahead.
• Your used household goods can enter the UK duty- and VAT-free under Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief if you lived abroad for at least 12 consecutive months and owned and used the goods for at least six months.
• Apply for ToR before your goods arrive. HMRC issues a Unique Reference Number (URN) from your ToR1 application; your shipping agent quotes it on the import declaration to release your belongings.
• Two paperwork ends. A SUNAT simplified export declaration takes your menaje out of Peru; ToR1/URN clears it into the UK.
• Peruvians are visa nationals for settlement. You need the right UK visa (Skilled Worker, Family, Student, etc.) before moving; short visits use an ETA.

1. Leaving Peru: what to close out

Run four workstreams in parallel: personal admin, household goods, pets, and sea freight.

Personal and residence admin. Settle your Peruvian tax position with SUNAT, close utilities and subscriptions, and gather proof of the period you lived abroad. UK ToR relief requires evidence of at least 12 consecutive months of residence outside the UK, so keep your Peruvian residence card, tenancy or utility records, and any consular deregistration document. If your move is job- or study-driven, keep your job offer or CAS letter — HMRC and the Home Office both value clear evidence of intent.

Customs export of used household effects (menaje). Peruvians ship personal effects out of Peru under SUNAT’s baggage-and-household-goods regime using a Declaración Simplificada de Exportación, a free Aduanas form, with no export duty on household goods. You identify yourself with your ID document; a third party (a moving agent) needs a notarised power of attorney (carta poder notarial). Prepare a detailed, valued inventory in Spanish and English — HMRC’s ToR process expects a clear list of what you are importing.

Pet export (SENASA). The Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agraria del Perú (SENASA) issues the export health certificate to take your animal out of Peru: current vaccinations (dogs: rabies plus parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis; cats: rabies plus panleukopenia), deworming within 30 days of travel, and a health check, applied for at least 72 hours before departure. This is separate from — and additional to — the GB entry rules below.

Shipping from Callao. Your container is loaded at the Port of Callao, next to Lima, Peru’s principal deep-water gateway. Book packing, the surveyor and the container date early, and complete the export declaration and inventory before the box is sealed.

2. How your household goods ship to the United Kingdom

Household moves from Peru to the UK travel by sea. From Callao, a full-container-load (FCL) or shared groupage (LCL) container sails to a UK port — most commonly Felixstowe, with Southampton and London Gateway as alternatives.

Be realistic about transit. There is no short Pacific route to the UK: sailings route the long way, typically via the Panama Canal and across the Atlantic to the English Channel and southern North Sea, so door-to-door timelines run into weeks and vary with schedules, transhipment and port congestion. Plan a comfortable buffer rather than a single fixed date.

Match the container to your volume: LCL groupage for a small flat (you pay for the cubic metres used and share the box), a dedicated 20ft or 40ft FCL container for a full household. For essentials you need immediately — documents, a laptop, a few weeks of clothing — use air freight or accompanied baggage and let the sea container follow.

3. UK customs & transfer-of-residence relief

The UK lets people moving their normal home to Great Britain import belongings free of import duty and VAT under Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief. The key conditions set by HMRC are:

• You lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months.
• You owned and used the goods for at least six months before importing them.
• The move is a genuine transfer of your normal residence — the UK becomes your main home (second/holiday homes do not qualify).
• You import the goods within 12 months of arriving, under the same ToR approval.

Crucially, you apply before your goods arrive using the online ToR1 form. HMRC issues a Unique Reference Number (URN), which your shipping agent quotes on the import declaration to release the shipment duty-free. Relief covers household and personal effects, linen, furnishings and equipment for personal or household use. Excluded: alcohol and tobacco, brand-new goods (with narrow exceptions such as wedding gifts/trousseaux within set time limits), goods for a second home, and items for commercial use. Certain vehicles have their own rules. Build your inventory to match what you enter on ToR1.

4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare

Residence and visa. Peruvians are visa nationals for settlement, so you must hold the correct UK visa before moving — for example Skilled Worker, Family, Student, or another long-term route. (For short visits, Peruvians use an Electronic Travel Authorisation, an ETA, which is not a route to living in the UK.) Most work and study visas require paying the Immigration Health Surcharge, which gives access to the NHS. Your biometric residence status is generally held digitally via a UKVI account/eVisa; check and save your share codes on arrival.

Registration. The UK has no single town-hall registration like the EU, but do these early: register with a local GP surgery for healthcare; apply for or confirm your National Insurance (NI) number (many visa holders now get it linked to their status, otherwise apply once in the UK); and register for council tax with your local council at your new address. Opening a bank account is easier once you have proof of address and your visa/eVisa.

Driving licence. The UK does not have a licence-exchange agreement with Peru, so a Peruvian licence lets you drive in Great Britain only for a limited period (generally up to 12 months from becoming resident), after which you must pass the UK theory and practical driving tests to get a full GB licence. Verify current rules on GOV.UK before that period expires.

Healthcare. Access to the NHS comes with paying the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of most visa applications. Once in the UK, register with a GP and a dentist. Keep proof of your surcharge payment and visa status.

5. Pets

This is the longest-lead task in your move, so start here. Great Britain runs its own pet-import regime (separate from the EU’s, though similar in structure). Because Peru is not on GB’s list of low-rabies countries, a dog or cat needs, in order:

1. Microchip (ISO-standard), before or at the same time as rabies vaccination.
2. Rabies vaccination, given after the microchip.
3. Rabies blood test: blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, with a result of ≥0.5 IU/ml.
4. A three-month wait from the date the successful blood sample was taken before entry to GB.
5. A GB pet health certificate (because Peru is unlisted), issued close to travel, plus the SENASA export certificate to leave Peru.
6. Tapeworm treatment for dogs, given by a vet 1–5 days before entering the UK (containing praziquantel or an approved equivalent).

The vaccination-to-blood gap plus the three-month wait alone take around four months, so begin four to five months before arrival, and always confirm the current rules on GOV.UK. Use an approved route and carrier for animals entering GB, and consider a specialist pet-relocation agent for this corridor.

6. Money, banking & tax basics

Open a UK bank account once you have proof of address and your visa/eVisa; some banks and app-based accounts accept newcomers with limited history. Move funds through a regulated bank or FX provider and keep records for anti-money-laundering checks on large inbound transfers. On tax: UK residence is determined by the Statutory Residence Test, and becoming UK-resident generally makes your worldwide income taxable in the UK, subject to the Peru–UK treatment for avoiding double taxation and any applicable reliefs for new arrivals. Register for a personal tax account and keep your NI number handy for payroll. This is general information, not tax advice — take personalised advice for your circumstances.

How Flyto handles your Peru to United Kingdom move

Flyto Relocation runs the full Peru–UK corridor: export packing and the SUNAT declaration in Peru, ocean freight from Callao to Felixstowe, and customs clearance with HMRC Transfer of Residence (ToR1/URN) relief at the UK end. Because we operate our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, your container stays within our own network rather than being passed between unconnected agents — and we sequence the tricky parts, like aligning your pet’s blood test and three-month wait, and your ToR1 approval, with the sailing schedule. Get a quote and we will plan your timeline back from your arrival date.

Frequently asked questions

Does my pet need a blood test to enter the UK from Peru?
Yes. Peru is not on GB’s list of low-rabies countries, so a rabies blood test (≥0.5 IU/ml, blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination) is required, plus a three-month wait from the sample date, and a GB pet health certificate. See GOV.UK — Bringing your pet to Great Britain: rabies vaccination and boosters.

How early should I start the pet process?
About four to five months, because the 30-day vaccination-to-blood gap plus the three-month wait dominate the timeline; dogs also need tapeworm treatment 1–5 days before arrival. See GOV.UK — Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain.

How do I import my furniture duty-free?
Apply for Transfer of Residence relief with the ToR1 form before your goods arrive; HMRC issues a URN for your agent to use on the import declaration. See GOV.UK — Transfer of residence to Great Britain.

What are the ToR eligibility rules?
You must have lived abroad for at least 12 consecutive months, owned and used the goods for at least six months, and be genuinely moving your normal home to the UK. See GOV.UK — Application for transfer of residence relief (ToR1).

Do I need a visa as a Peruvian to move to the UK?
Yes for settlement. Peruvians need an appropriate long-term UK visa arranged before moving; short visits use an ETA. See GOV.UK — Visas and immigration.

Can I keep driving on my Peruvian licence?
Only for up to 12 months after becoming resident. The UK has no exchange agreement with Peru, so you must then pass the UK theory and practical tests. See GOV.UK — Driving in Great Britain on a foreign licence.

Sources

• GOV.UK — Transfer of residence to Great Britain
• GOV.UK — Application for transfer of residence relief (ToR1)
• GOV.UK — Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain
• GOV.UK — Pet travel: rabies vaccination, blood test and boosters
• GOV.UK — Visas and immigration
• GOV.UK — Driving in Great Britain on a foreign licence
• Gobierno del Perú / SUNAT — Menaje de casa (baggage and household goods regime)
• SENASA (Perú) — Viaja con tu mascota (pet export certification)