Shipping boxes from the UK to Bulgaria post-Brexit - will customs charge me on my own belongings?

What happened to your friend is unfortunately the default outcome when you post boxes ahead as ordinary parcels - and yes, without the right paperwork, Bulgaria can charge around 20 percent import VAT plus possible duty on your own second-hand jumpers, because since Brexit the UK is a third country and a courier parcel is just an import. But there is a proper mechanism to avoid it. The mechanism: Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief. EU customs law lets people genuinely moving their home from outside the EU import their used personal belongings free of duty and VAT. The conditions: you are transferring your normal residence to Bulgaria, the goods are personal property you have owned and used for at least six months (new items in original packaging do not qualify), and you import them within twelve months of settling, declared to Bulgarian customs with an inventory and proof of your move - residence registration, rental contract, that sort of thing. Now the practical catch that caught your friend: the relief works smoothly when the shipment arrives as one declared consignment handled by someone who files the paperwork - which is why the standard advice is to use an international removals company (part-load service for fifteen boxes is exactly what they sell, from a few hundred pounds) and let them handle the customs declaration and ToR claim. Fifteen separate courier parcels, by contrast, arrive as fifteen individual imports with no ToR claim attached, get assessed or stuck individually, and produce exactly the Spain scenario. If you do ship anything separately: itemized inventory in English, marked used personal effects - household move, no food, alcohol or new-in-box items. Timing note: November is when you register residence, so keep your documents handy for the claim. The full moving checklist is in our guide at /guides/moving-to-bulgaria-complete-guide.