Guides / Declaring cash at the UK border · Updated 30 September 2026

Carrying £10,000 or more in cash across the UK border: how to declare it

Moving savings, sale proceeds or business takings between the UK and Poland in cash is legal, but above a set threshold it must be declared. Here is what GOV.UK says counts, who must declare and what happens if you do not.

This guide is also available in Polish.

The rule in one sentence

If you carry cash of £10,000 or more between Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and any country outside the UK, you must declare it to UK customs. That covers both directions: flying out of Stansted to Kraków with savings from the sale of a flat, or driving back into Dover with takings from a market in Poland. Carrying the money is not illegal. Failing to tell customs about it is what causes problems.

What counts as cash

People often assume the rule is only about banknotes. GOV.UK lists a wider set of items for Great Britain:

• notes and coins, in any currency;
• bearer bonds;
• travellers' cheques;
• cheques that are signed but not made out to a person or organisation.

So a mix of pounds, złoty and euros is added together. Convert everything to sterling and check the total against the threshold. If you are unsure of the exchange rate on the day, err on the side of declaring.

Northern Ireland follows a different list and threshold (€10,000), which also takes in money orders, gold coins, gold bullion or nuggets, and prepaid cards. Declarations are needed when you arrive in Northern Ireland from Great Britain with €10,000 or more, but not in the other direction.

Families and groups travelling together

The threshold is not a per-person allowance you can split between passengers. GOV.UK states that if you travel as a family or group with £10,000 or more in total, you still need to declare, even if each person carries less. A couple moving to Poland with £6,000 each in a car has £12,000 on board and must declare. Spreading notes across suitcases or relatives does not change the result, and deliberately splitting cash to stay under the limit is precisely the pattern border officers look for.

When and how to declare

Leaving the UK

You must declare before you depart. The online declaration service on GOV.UK can be used up to 72 hours before you plan to travel.

Arriving in the UK

You can declare in advance online (again, from 72 hours before travel) or declare in person to customs when you arrive.

By phone

GOV.UK also lists a Customs helpline, 0300 322 9434, which it describes as a 24-hour service, if you cannot use the online form.

• Count and convert the total for your whole travelling party.
• Make the declaration within the 72-hour window, or at the border when arriving.
• Keep your confirmation with you and have it ready at the control point.
• Carry paperwork explaining where the money came from and what it is for, such as a sale completion statement or bank withdrawal slip.
• Check the rules of the country at the other end of the journey separately.

Seizure and what happens next

Customs can also hold cash where they suspect it is linked to crime, even if it was declared. According to GOV.UK, officers can hold it for 48 hours; keeping it longer requires a court order. If you are given a penalty notice, the guidance sets a 30-day window from the date of that notice to challenge it. Clear evidence of the money's origin (bank statements, invoices, a property sale contract) is the most practical protection you have in either situation.

Cash in the post, parcels or freight

Sending cash rather than carrying it is treated differently. The GOV.UK guidance on unaccompanied cash refers to a cash disclosure form that customs may ask for when cash moves by freight, post or parcel between Northern Ireland and a non-EU country. For businesses shipping goods between Great Britain and Poland, it is simpler and safer to pay suppliers and customers by bank transfer, which also leaves the audit trail your customs and VAT records need.

Practical scenarios for UK–Poland moves

Relocating to Poland

Many people moving back to Poland drive with a van of household goods and a sum of cash. The UK declaration is made before leaving Great Britain. Poland, as an EU member state, applies its own cash controls at the EU external border, so treat that as a second, separate obligation and check it with Polish customs (Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa) before you set off. If you are also moving furniture and personal belongings, our glossary explains how personal effects are treated at customs.

Small traders and hauliers

Drivers sometimes carry cash for fuel, tolls or collections from customers. The same £10,000 threshold applies to a lorry cab as to a family car, and the whole crew counts as one group. A cash declaration is entirely separate from the customs declaration for the goods in the trailer; if you are unsure what the goods themselves need, see do you need a customs broker and our guide to T1 transit from the UK to the EU.

Why the declaration matters

The declaration exists to help authorities track large movements of money linked to crime. A correct declaration costs nothing on GOV.UK, takes a few minutes and puts on record that the money is yours and was moved openly. That record is useful if you are later asked about the funds by a bank opening an account in Poland or by an officer at a later crossing.

Common mistakes

• Counting only sterling and forgetting euros or złoty in a wallet.
• Assuming each passenger has their own £10,000 allowance.
• Declaring too early: the online service accepts declarations no earlier than 72 hours before travel.
• Thinking a declaration covers the goods too. It does not; goods follow their own customs rules.
• Travelling without evidence of where large sums came from.

For a second perspective written with UK–Poland travellers in mind, including how the UK and Polish requirements fit together on a relocation, Easy Clearance has published a practical walkthrough of declaring cash at the UK border.

Related guides

• Transit guarantees and NCTS explained

• Northern Ireland and the Windsor Framework: a guide for traders

• UK trade sanctions checks for small exporters shipping via the EU

Sources

• Taking cash in and out of the UK (GOV.UK)
• Taking cash between Great Britain and outside the UK (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.