How long does UK VAT registration take for overseas sellers?
By Drew Cooper, Founder & CEO · Last reviewed: 29 October 2026
For an overseas business, UK VAT registration typically takes 6 to 10 weeks from the day a complete application reaches HMRC. That is our experience across current client registrations, not an HMRC promise: HMRC does not publish a fixed turnaround, and once the application is in, the timing is in its hands. If someone quotes you two weeks, be cautious. If you hear of a brand waiting a year, that usually points to an incomplete application or HMRC queries that went unanswered.
The timeline, stage by stage
| Stage | Who | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gather your documents | You, using our checklist | A few days. This is the busiest part for your team. |
| 2. Prepare and submit the application | Lantara | 2 to 3 working days after we receive your documents |
| 3. HMRC review | HMRC | Most of the 6 to 10 weeks |
| 4. HMRC queries, if any | Lantara, with your input | Adds time, so we answer as soon as HMRC writes |
| 5. VAT number issued, GB EORI arranged | HMRC and Lantara | Your EORI number is applied for once the VAT number arrives |
| 6. Filing periods set | HMRC | Your quarterly return dates come with the registration |
What slows registration down
- Details that do not match. A company name, address or director detail that differs between documents is the most common reason HMRC writes back.
- Directors without a UK tax reference. HMRC's online service does not always accept overseas tax identifiers, so some overseas applications have to go in by post.
- Requests for more evidence. HMRC looks closely at overseas applications and may ask for proof of your UK trading plans, such as your marketplace account, warehouse arrangements and expected first sale date.
- HMRC's workload. HMRC is busier at some points in the year than others, and processing times move with it. We build that into the plan rather than promise a date we do not control.
What to do while you wait
Six to eight weeks is not dead time. The brands that launch fastest use it to get everything else ready, so stock can move the week the VAT number lands.
- Make your products compliant. Label reviews, packaging changes, and your UK Responsible Person or Food Business Operator set-up can all run in parallel with the VAT application.
- Line up your freight forwarder. Your forwarder or customs agent clears your goods at the border. Make sure they can act for you, and that your commercial invoice values are accurate, because import VAT is calculated from them.
- Decide on postponed VAT accounting. It lets you account for import VAT on your VAT return instead of paying it at the border, which helps cash flow. It costs nothing to use.
For who clears your goods at the border and when you need a GB EORI number, see importer of record, EORI and customs.
Do you need to register at all?
Overseas businesses that hold stock in the UK have no VAT registration threshold. If you sell from UK stock through your own website or to UK businesses, you must register. If you sell to consumers only through a marketplace such as Amazon, you can apply for exemption, but most sellers register anyway so they can reclaim the import VAT they pay. We set out each scenario on our UK VAT registration page.
Questions we get asked
I already have a GB EORI number. Do I still need VAT? Usually, yes. An EORI number lets you move goods through customs; it is not a VAT registration. If you hold stock in the UK, the VAT rules above still apply.
Does Lantara clear my goods through customs? No. Your freight forwarder or customs agent handles clearance. We handle your VAT registration and returns, and help with questions on import VAT and commercial invoices.
We registered with another provider. Can we switch? Yes. Once your VAT number is issued, a new agent can take over your filings and your VAT number stays the same. Many brands time the switch with their renewal so they do not pay twice.
Does the 6 to 10 weeks include the EU? No. Each EU country runs its own registration, with its own timing. See EU compliance.
How Lantara helps
We prepare your application so it goes in complete the first time, deal with HMRC until your VAT number is issued, and then file your quarterly returns through Making Tax Digital. See UK VAT registration and filings, or start with a free readiness check.