You won't need a permit...
There may be tax to pay though.. That'll be made clear before or after its arrival, depending on the carrier used.
As of October this year, section 31 and 36 (I think? Well, the ones to do with airsoft guns/RIFs/Realistic Imitation Firearms) of the VCR Bill will come in to force and make it illegal to import, sell or buy whole RIFs/Airsoft guns no mater who you are. This is true and, so far, final. The only way around this is to break the law and illegally buy, sell or import airsoft guns, and use the 'Specific Defence' if you are caught and charged with breaking the laws of the VCR Bill. This 'Specific Defence' which will stop you from being prosicuted for breaking the law, due to having a legitimate reason for doing so (airsoft skirmishing). But you can only use this Specific Defence if you can prove you're a skirmisher by having dedicated membership to an Airsoft Site with 3rd party insurance cover and they can vouch that you regularly skirmish.
As of yet, what constitutes as an RIF has not yet been confirmed. And at which point of you being caught, maybe arrested, maybe house searched, maybe put inside police jail, can you instigate the Specific Defence.
It will still be legal and perfectly fine to own RIFs/Airsoft guns and will still be fine to buy parts and accessories to customize and repair existing weapons. It will also be illegal to make a RIF from scratch (I don't yet know if you can use the Specific Defence to over rule this or not yet)
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
i've just got mine from gunners yesterday, paid
I'd like to point out that the start date of October for this is a guess. Nothing has yet been officially said about it.
The one i ordered from gunner is in the uk and 'in transit'
I assume i'll have it in a day or two then....
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Arrived today
bakelite grip mp40, four extra mags -
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
my latest ones currently "pending customs inspection" 
but its been 2 days and still no letter from them so they must either be backed up or its been released
I've found if it hangs around that means you will be charged! Uncharged stuff goes straight through then system. Sorry!
I concur... soz.
Indeed, You will get a statment of account/ Invoice a few weeks after your stuff arives depending on which carrier brought it.
everytime i've been charged i've either had a letter from the carrier asking for cash to release it. it never lingers on the inspection section for that.
when it lingers on this its when customs want me to prove what i paid for it. Had it with my mp40. and one previous gun. however both times when i sent them the info both times(both times being over their threshold) they released it without charge. *shrug*
Anyway i digress. if this was a carrier charge situation it should have gone past custom inspection by now so a case of waiting for the letter from HM customs asking to prove the value me thinks
Im only going on my dealings with DHL bringing clothing through.
this will probably be parcelforce as I've only paid for regular airmail not ems speed post. so fingers crossed
parcelforce will send you a letter asking you for cash.
However if you watch the tracking and see this is going to happen (the item will go on hold at your local depot) then you can ring up the depot and sort payment out early... this usually means you get the parcel about 1 day earlier.
I've done this twice with the Rotherham depot now...
Biggest problem is getting the depot's telephone number!
already have it from the last time one got stopped. Only thing being last time it went the parcel force charges route it was on "awaiting customs inspection" for less than 2 hours where as this time its been several days. the same happened on my mp40 when they asked me to prove its value
hooray in transit 