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According to my telephone call to HM Revenue and Customs (who inspect items coming and going from the UK) and later confirmed by email:

Further to your e-mail enquiry regarding the importation of ceremonial swords from India.

Metal sword blades of a length in excess of 50cm are not permitted to be imported in to the UK. In addition, flick and gravity knives, butterfly knives, push daggers, belt-buckle knives, death stars, swordsticks, stealth (non-metallic) knives, knives disguised as everyday objects are all prohibited from being brought in to the UK.

However, there are some exceptions to this ruling.

If documentary evidence of the following can be provided the sword might be permitted:

A) The weapon in question was made before 1954 or was made at any other time according to traditional methods of making swords by hand.

B) For the purpose only of making the weapon available for a sporting activity for which public liability insurance is held in relation to liabilities to third parties arising from or in connection with the organisation and holding of such an activity. ?Sporting activity? means the practising of a sport (martial arts) which requires the use of a sword with a curved blade of 50 centimetres or over in length. ?Insurance? means a contract of insurance or other arrangement made for the purpose of indemnifying a person or persons named in the contract or under the arrangement. ?Third parties? includes participants in, and spectators of, a permitted activity and members of the public.

You as the Importer will need to qualify for either defence A or defence B above in order to import a curved blade sword 50cms or more in length.

Crucially, you will need to provide documentation evidencing one of the defences above.

Where defences cannot be evidenced the sword would be seized.

If your items fall into one of the categories above and can be imported into the UK then please note all items imported into the UK from outside the EU the goods will attract customs duty at the appropriate % duty rate for each item and VAT at the standard rate of 20%.

So someone may send it but whether you recieve it in the UK is another matter. HM Revenue and Customs were quite clear on the telephone that anything over 50cms (around 20 inches) would be seized upon entering the UK and would only be released if documentation evidencing why an exception.should be granted is supplied and accepted.

Also note, customs tax and VAT are payable by the recepient, not by the sender.

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