If you import goods from Europe into Great Britain, here’s what you need to know.

What’s changed?

Until 31 December 2021, businesses were able to delay making declarations on goods – apart from controlled goods, such as alcohol, weapons, chemicals, or drugs – brought into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from Europe.

This meant that you could delay sending HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) full information about your goods by up to 175 days after import.

Delayed imports were introduced after the end of the Brexit transition period to give traders time to prepare for new customs controls and procedures.

But from 1 January 2022, businesses are now required to make full customs declarations and pay any tariffs at the point of import.

What are the new rules from 1 January 2022?

• Traders will have to make full import customs declarations and pay relevant tariffs at the point of import.
• Your goods may be directed to an Inland Border Facility for customs checks if these checks cannot be done at the border. From this date, you must also submit an “arrived” export declaration if your goods are moving through one of the border locations that use the arrived exports process.
• You must use the correct country code for the country of origin and the country of dispatch when you complete your customs declaration. The EU country code can no longer be used.
• Pre-notification requirements of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) goods are required.
• UK commodity codes have changed.

Future changes

Some customs controls have been delayed further to give businesses more time to prepare. This means:

• Safety and Security Declarations at entry will not be required until 1 July 2022.
• Certification and physical checks for all remaining regulated animal by-products, all regulated plants and plant products, all meat and meat products, and all remaining high-risk food not of animal origin will not be required until 1 July 2022.
• High-priority plants and plant products checks will be transferred from the place of destination to designated Border Control Points (BCP) from 1 July 2022.
• Physical checks on live animals will take place at designated border control posts where a facility is operational at the point of entry from 1 July 2022.
• Certification and physical checks will be introduced for all dairy products from 1 September 2022.
• Certification and physical checks will be introduced for all remaining regulated products of animal origin, including composite products and fish products, from 1 November 2022.

Get advice today

For help and advice with related matters, please contact our team today.

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The report, The Digitalisation of Trade: SMEs Driving Innovation, demonstrates how a number of factors, including the new post-Brexit relationship with the EU, the COVID-19 pandemic and problems with the supply chain have accelerated the issue.

The Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) and the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) published the report to coincide with the  Department for International Trade’s International Trade Week this month.

The report highlights how digitalising trade will increase efficiencies, reduce the cost of doing business and allow for more sustainable practices, as well as removing key barriers to entry to international trade, suffered by new and smaller companies.

A recent estimate by the International Chambers of Commerce suggested that when digital and trade are married together, the benefit could be as much as a staggering nine trillion dollars by 2026.

Experienced entrepreneurs have a different way of seeing the world and its problems, according to the report, and have the ability to come up with innovative solutions.

As a result, many large companies are setting up their own venture capital units to capitalise on what entrepreneurs and early-stage companies bring to the table.

Marco Forgione, Director General of the IOE&IT said: “Digitalisation is most often talked about in connection with trade as a transformative technology, something that will help traders to trade more efficiently, faster and compliantly.

“International trade is a force for good, transforming nations and communities. Digital technologies can help it do that on a fair and sustainable basis.”

He added that digitalisation as a transformative technology is about the free flow of data and the integration of different actors’ systems through technology.

Roderick Beer is managing director of the UK Business Angels Association, the trade body for early-stage investing. He commented: “I am delighted to have partnered with the IOE&IT on this report, focusing on where the opportunities are for SMEs when it comes to the digitalisation of the sector.”

He added: “With over £2 billion invested every year into exciting, innovative, UK-based businesses, it is important to ensure a steady supply of risk capital into these early-stage businesses that, although small today, will drive the sector’s technological advancements of the future.

“Working closely with the investment community to build awareness of the opportunities that trade-supporting technologies present, will be key in ensuring a thriving base of innovators that will ultimately make the UK a better place from which to do business.”

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Like certain goods purchased from outside the EU, goods purchased from inside the EU may now attract tariffs, VAT, and customs charges.

The warning comes as online spending ramps up in the run-up to the festive period.

According to the tax authority, changes introduced on 01 January 2021 mean that consumers based in England, Wales, and Scotland may be hit with ‘hidden’ charges.

Those from Northern Ireland won’t be affected, however, due to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The changes apply to orders worth more than £135 (known as the consignment limit) and all goods subject to excise duties, such as tobacco, alcohol, and perfume, no matter the value.

Anyone ordering online from abroad where the order value exceeds the limit will now need to pay import VAT and may need to pay customs duty, as well as a handling fee.

If you are paying import VAT, customers should ensure that their seller does not charge VAT, otherwise you may be unfairly charged twice.

The new rules also apply to gifts received from someone based in the EU. Import VAT is due on gifts worth more than £39, while customs duty may be payable on gifts worth more than £135.

Commenting on the rule changes, Katherine Green and Sophie Dean, Directors General, Borders and Trade, said: “With Christmas rapidly approaching, we don’t want shoppers to be caught out by unexpected charges which will take the fun out of their Christmas shopping experience.

“There are now a number of factors that people will need to consider when purchasing goods from the EU, so shoppers are being advised to check guidance to ensure they know what they will owe.”

For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our team today.

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Recent figures reveal that the programme has received over 5.4 million applications to date – but thousands more applications could be outstanding.

Under the scheme, European Union, European Economic Area (EEA), and Swiss citizens who lived and/or worked in the UK before the end of the transition period can apply for permanent residency, providing they meet the relevant criteria to stay.

To receive a grant of status, the applicant must demonstrate that they are in the UK as a worker, student, or self-sufficient person, and provide a form of official ID (such as a passport or driver’s licence) and their National Insurance (NI) number, if they have one.

After 30 June 2021, a new digital system will be launched to help employers check proof of settled status.

If you continue to employ a worker who has not received settled status, your business may be fined.

Commenting on the deadline, Kevin Foster, Minister for Future Borders and Immigration said: “Time is running out for those eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme to apply by the deadline of 30 June 2021, but a range of support is available for the most vulnerable or those that require extra support, so don’t delay in reaching out for help.

“Once you’ve applied you will be joining the millions who have secured, in UK law, the status needed to continue living and working here.”

More information about the EU Settlement Scheme can be found here.

For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our expert team today.

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Ahead of the new tax year, we look at the key dates and rule changes your business needs to know about.

March 2021: the Brexit Recovery Fund opens for applications

Launching this week, the Brexit Recovery Fund enables businesses who trade with the EU to access up to £2,000 in grant funding to cover the costs of specialist training and professional advice (including accountant’s fees), to help them adapt to new customs and tax processes, such as rules of origin and VAT.

To apply, your business must move goods between Great Britain and the EU or Northern Ireland; be established in the UK for at least 12 months or currently hold Authorised Economic Operator status; have no more than 500 employees and turnover no more than £100 million; and have not previously failed to meet its tax or customs obligations.

1 October 2021: animal product rules come into force

• Pre-notification requirements for Products of Animal Origin (POAO), certain animal by-products (ABP), and High Risk Food Not Of Animal Origin (HRFNAO) will come into effect from 1 October 2021
• Export Health Certificate requirements for POAO and certain ABP will come into force on the same date. 

January 2022: full border control processes come into force

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has now pushed back the introduction of full border control processes until 1 January 2022 – six months later than planned.

• While customs import declarations will still be required, the option to use the deferred declaration scheme – including submitting supplementary declarations up to six months after the goods have been imported – will be available until the end of the year
• Safety and Security Declarations for imports will also not be required until 01 January 2022, while physical SPS checks for POAO, certain ABP, and HRFNAO will not be required until the same date
• Physical SPS checks on high-risk plants will take place at Border Control Posts, rather than at the place of destination as now, from 1 January 2022
• Pre-notification requirements and documentary checks, including phytosanitary certificates will be required for low risk plants and plant products, and will be introduced from 1 January 2022. 

March 2022: Border control checks on live animals

• Checks at Border Control Posts will take place on live animals and low risk plants and plant products.

For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our expert team today.

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• be established in the UK
• have been established in the UK for at least 12 months before submitting the application, or currently hold Authorised Economic Operator status
• not have previously failed to meet its tax or customs obligations
• have no more than 500 employees; and
• have no more than £100 million turnover.

Welcoming the programme, Mike Cherry, Federation of Small Businesses National Chairman, said: “The vast majority of UK small firms that do business overseas trade with the EU. Not only are they trying to stay afloat as lockdowns gradually ease, they now have new, unfamiliar paperwork and costs to navigate when they buy from, or sell to, Europe.
“We encourage all eligible small businesses to take a look and apply for this new source of help.”
Jon Geldart, Director-General at the Institute of Directors, added: “Smaller firms have long needed assistance with managing the host of new requirements that come with changing our EU trading arrangements, and that need has only grown in the current adjustment phase.”
Learn more about the Brexit Support Fund here.
For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our expert team today.

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