Do you need to pay tax when exporting alcohol from the UK, and how should duty stamps be handled?

When exporting alcohol from the UK to anywhere outside the UK, you must obliterate the duty stamp under HMRC regulations. However, from 1 May onwards, this obligation changes and no longer presents an issue.

Members flagged that it can seem counterintuitive to pay tax when moving product internationally—particularly when exporting to nearby markets like France—but the rule applies across all destinations. One member noted that if you're struggling with tax liability on exports, sourcing and purchasing stock locally in your destination country (rather than exporting from the UK) may be a more practical commercial solution, though this requires advance planning.

The key takeaway: obliterate duty stamps on export shipments before 1 May; after that date, the requirement no longer applies.