Frustrated beyond belief - my Armour has been impounded by Border Force.
Process
1. Fill in C88a import form. (two of the boxes are magic numbers you can't find so you have to email Classification.Enquiries@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk to get one number and then NCHCIE@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk to get another) then you have to go to the website known as
Public Notice 144 on the HMRC website to be able to fill in all the other boxes
2. You send your form to NCHCIE@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk, and if they deem it correctly filled in they give a release code to Border Force, then you call them (but you don't know when they get the release code and it's just an answer phone so you have to keep leaving messages and feel like an idiot)
3. They presumably charge you VAT and you get your medication
I am stuck on 1. Have been for 2 weeks... my supplier doesn't have the classification number, the classifications email has not been responded to, I even rang the manufacturer but they don't have a UK Trade Tarif number either.
I am hoping that someone on the forum has a friend or relative or is themselves a freight forwarder or import agent.. I need someone who understands the UK Trade Tariff to give me an 8 digit code for Armour Thyroid, then I'm going to publish a how to guide for anyone else who gets into this mess..
PS you only get into this mess if your order is over £875... I foolishly thought I'd order a year's supply as the recent price rises were scary.
Written by
Redditch
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Reason I went down the animal products route was that many years ago, I wanted to know if Armour Thyroid was subject to VAT.
The person I spoke to was very clear that it would not be treated as a medicine but just another animal product. So I went through that selector with that answer in mind. (Very likely still wrong!)
Still no meds.. spent all day Saturday filling in their C88a form... Anyone having to do this, you have my sympathy and I'll happily send you my form but God knows if I did it correctly, between my partner and I, we have 2 degrees and 2 masters' and it took us half a morning, one box demands a code on Appendix 6 of Appendix 3 of the UK Tariff which doesn't seem to exist! It's insanely complex... anyway 0511998590 is one suggestion for classification and
3001209000 is another, the people who are supposed to tell you are Classification.enquiries@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk , but they don't respond, still haven't responded
I have sent my C88a to nchcie@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk; but they haven't responded
My SPP reference is 0212
If anyone would like to send an email with subject SPP0212 to either email address and try to tell them what will happen in 2 days when I run out of Armour please fill your boots, they won't answer the phone, they are not releasing my meds and I am at a complete loss.
Note to all buyers of meds - make sure the order is less than £875.00, this could happen to you.
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