Do you need UKARA to import an empty receiver?

[RektnNekt]

Basically as the title says, do you need UKARA to import an upper and lower without internals from outside the UK?

I was given a boneyard black WE M4 by a friend who has given up on airsoft (this was quite some time ago). It has a crack in the upper and the lower sustained a bit of a knock after a fall on some stairs. It was just gathering dust in his garage and so he let me have it for nothing (result!) as he knew I wanted to start playing. It still fires perfectly fine but I just don't want a cracked receiver. About a year later, I've decided to fix it up and get to a game.

Anyway, I've located a replacement upper and lower outside of the UK that I'd like to buy. Unfortunately they're out of stock in UK retailers after a couple hours of searching.

Will importing an upper and lower be an issue without UKARA? I ask as their stock is running low (I contacted the store and they've only got 2 left). As I said, they won't have any internals whatsoever, it's just the body.

I'd love to get into some airsoft games but I'd like to use this rifle, I absolutely love it! 

Thanks guys

 

[MILITATED]

Well, you definitely don't need UKARA to buy a receiver set if you're in the UK, that's for sure. You're not prompted to input a UKARA number or any type of defence with receivers like you are when buying full RIFs. 

I don't know how customs would react though, I hope that someone with a little more info comes along to help you out on this one. I shouldn't think it'd be a problem though.

 

[Sacarathe]

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2606/made

See section 6.

And then apply the definition of a RIF.

The fact is that that you can import anything which is not a RIF and what makes something a RIF is usually very apparent, legally speaking if you can break a RIF in half and it's just "gun parts" then you need not worry in the slightest about gun parts.

But in any case UKARA is not necessary for importing RIFs it's just a heck of a lot easier and is the only automatic method of import.

 

[RektnNekt]

Thank you BigBlackGlock, that is also what I was thinking!

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2606/made

See section 6.

And then apply the definition of a RIF.

The fact is that that you can import anything which is not a RIF and what makes something a RIF is usually very apparent, legally speaking if you can break a RIF in half and it's just "gun parts" then you need not worry in the slightest about gun parts.

But in any case UKARA is not necessary for importing RIFs it's just a heck of a lot easier and is the only automatic method of import.

Click to shrink...

Thank you! So the upper and lower receiver won't be held by customs until I give them a UKARA number? I thought as much considering it isn't actually a whole gun 

 

[Sacarathe]

Thank you BigBlackGlock, that is also what I was thinking!

Thank you! So the upper and lower receiver won't be held by customs until I give them a UKARA number? I thought as much considering it isn't actually a whole gun 

Click to shrink...

Does it look like a [complete] gun? Quite simply is the answer.

Even if they ask for a defence, UKARA is not the only way you can prove you're an airsofter.

Be careful of some shipping companies though, UPS will try and get a UKARA number out of you when it's not even necessary - just by whom the shippers are. And they're tenacious; the only way I could get them to stop asking for it was to tell them what was inside the parcel. Ironically they then filled the parcel under a duty free code - safety equipment yay.

If you want absolute certainty it will pass through order the lower and upper in separate packages a few days apart - but really if it's not a gun it's not a gun and that's the end of it.

 

[RektnNekt]

Does it look like a [complete] gun? Quite simply is the answer.

Even if they ask for a defence, UKARA is not the only way you can prove you're an airsofter.

Be careful of some shipping companies though, UPS will try and get a UKARA number out of you when it's not even necessary - just by whom the shippers are. And they're tenacious; the only way I could get them to stop asking for it was to tell them what was inside the parcel. Ironically they then filled the parcel under a duty free code - safety equipment yay.

If you want absolute certainty it will pass through order the lower and upper in separate packages a few days apart - but really if it's not a gun it's not a gun and that's the end of it.

Click to shrink...

It'd be via Airmail Unfortunately I can't get them ordered separately though but thank you so much!

 

[Hangtight]

I recently bought a receiver set from Europe. It turned up no problem.

 

[MILITATED]

Just to add, I received a receiver set (upper and lower) 2 days ago from Asia and it didn't even get stopped in customs. They didn't ask for a defence.