Can a UK Glazing Company Work in the Channel Islands?
Yes, and in some respects it is more straightforward than clients expect. Azure Outdoor Living has delivered multiple projects across the Channel Islands, working with a local island partner who takes the friction out of delivery and logistics. Most recently we designed, supplied and installed a complete architectural glazing package for a luxury contemporary home in Guernsey, working alongside principal contractor MLL Construction and Channel Islands delivery partner Bonsai Group. That project, which included Origin windows and doors, Cortizo Cor Vision minimal sliding doors and four bespoke bonded rooflights, taught us exactly what is different about island work: the tax position, the building regulations, the logistics and the planning. This guide sets all of it out.
The VAT Position (and Why It Favours Island Clients)
The Channel Islands are not part of the UK for VAT purposes. Goods exported from the UK to Guernsey or Jersey can be zero-rated for UK VAT provided evidence of export is kept, and delivery and freight charges are zero-rated with them. Services relating to land or property situated in the islands, including construction and installation, also fall outside the scope of UK VAT.
On the island side, Guernsey currently applies no VAT or GST at all, although a low-rate GST has been proposed for 2028 and remains under political debate. Jersey applies a 5% GST on most goods and services including imports.
The practical effect: a Guernsey client commissioning a premium glazing package from a UK specialist is not paying the 20% VAT a mainland client pays on the same package, and nothing local currently replaces it. On a high-value architectural glazing project, that difference is substantial. Tax treatment always depends on the specifics of a project, so confirm your own position with a professional adviser before budgeting around it.
That was exactly the position on our own Guernsey project: the client was invoiced without VAT as a zero-rated export. The saving described above is not a theoretical benefit, it is how the job was billed.
Building Regulations and Planning: The Islands Set Their Own Rules
Guernsey has its own building control regime. Work is governed by the Building (Guernsey) Regulations and the island’s Guernsey Technical Standards rather than the UK’s Approved Documents, with plan approvals and site inspections handled by the States of Guernsey Building Control service. Energy performance for glazing falls under Guernsey Technical Standard L1 rather than the UK’s Approved Document L, and UK self-certification schemes such as FENSA do not operate on the island: inspections are booked directly with Building Control. Jersey runs its own equivalent system under its building bye-laws. The standards on both islands are broadly aligned with modern UK practice, but the approval and inspection process is local, and it needs to be treated as local from day one.
Planning consent works the same way: it sits with the islands’ own planning authorities, not with any UK body, and on a construction project it is normally led by the architect or principal contractor as part of the wider scheme.
On our Guernsey project, that liaison sat where it usually sits on a principal contractor job: MLL Construction, as principal contractor, dealt with Guernsey Building Control directly, while Azure supplied the specifications, U-values and glazing evidence their submissions needed. The approvals process is local, but it is well trodden.
Freight, Customs and Delivery: How Glazing Actually Reaches the Islands
Every unit travels from mainland Britain in purpose-built transport stillages, with freight, ferry crossings and site deliveries timed against the construction programme rather than left to chance. Glass at architectural scale does not tolerate improvised logistics, and neither does an island build programme.
The export and customs paperwork on the Guernsey job was handled by Azure, with the assistance of our island partner Bonsai Group. That partnership exists for exactly this reason: they know the island far better than we do, and between us the client never has to touch a customs form.
Freight for the Guernsey project sailed from Portsmouth, roughly a day’s crossing on the conventional freight ferry. The sailing itself adds little to a programme; the discipline is booking crossings early and phasing the installation team around them, which is exactly the planning the rest of this guide describes.
On the Guernsey project, a HIAB crane with a vacuum glass lifting attachment offloaded every unit, the bespoke rooflights were craned onto their structural upstands, and the 300kg Cortizo panels were positioned with a specialist glazing robot. The installation team, equipment and programme were coordinated around ferry crossings and site access, phased alongside the other trades on site. Island installation is entirely deliverable; it simply rewards the kind of planning where nothing is left to be sorted out on the day.
Aftercare From Across the Water
Aftercare is straightforward for one simple reason: we are in the islands regularly. Because we deliver and install in the Channel Islands frequently, service visits and warranty work are tied in with new installation trips rather than waiting on a special crossing being arranged. It is the same team that fitted your glazing, back on the island as a matter of routine.
Is Island Work Right for Your Project?
Island projects carry fixed costs that do not scale down: freight, specialist lifting and a travelling installation team. In practice, Channel Islands work makes sense for clients and for us from around £30,000 upwards, and many island projects are considerably larger. If your project sits below that level, a local installer will usually serve you better, and if you ask us, we will say so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a UK glazing company install windows and doors in Guernsey?
Yes. Azure Outdoor Living has delivered a complete architectural glazing package in Guernsey, including supply, freight, specialist lifting and installation, working with local delivery partners and the island’s own building control process.
Is it cheaper to buy glazing from the UK for a Channel Islands home?
Often, yes. UK exports to the islands can be zero-rated for VAT and Guernsey currently has no equivalent local tax, so the headline saving can be substantial even after freight costs. Confirm the tax treatment of your own project with your adviser.
Do UK building regulations apply in the Channel Islands?
No. Guernsey applies its own Building Regulations and Guernsey Technical Standards through the States of Guernsey Building Control service, and Jersey applies its own bye-laws. The standards are broadly aligned with UK practice, but the approval and inspection process is local.
How long does delivery to the Channel Islands take?
Freight sails from Portsmouth and the crossing takes around a day. Island delivery adds days to a programme, not weeks; the key is booking crossings early and planning installation phases around them.
Does Azure Outdoor Living work in Jersey as well as Guernsey?
Yes. We work across both Guernsey and Jersey, and projects on either island run the same way: UK manufacture, zero-rated export, the island’s own building control process and a delivery programme built around the ferries. The main practical difference in Jersey is the 5% GST applied on import, covered in the VAT section above.
