Government Resources: Customs and Movement of Goods
Omicron Business Support Grants
£1 billion has been announced to support business most impacted by Omicron across the UK. Businesses in hospitality and leisure will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000.
More information here.
Customs Control
Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS): Added a ‘If you need help with your customs declaration’ section.
Transiting animals and animal products through Great Britain: Guidance updated to show change in rules from 1 January 2022 for imports from the Republic of Ireland to Great Britain.
Delaying declarations for goods brought into Great Britain: You can delay declarations if you brought goods from EU free circulation into free circulation in Great Britain, between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021, or if you bring goods from free circulation in Ireland (including goods that started their movement in Northern Ireland) into free circulation in Great Britain, from 1 January 2022, or if you bring goods that need to be declared from Northern Ireland (including goods that started their movement in Ireland) into free circulation in Great Britain, from 1 January 2022.
Goods leaving Great Britain from 1 January 2022 at ports using GVMS (CIP 2): First published.
Northern Ireland
Lord Frost statement on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland: 17 December 2021 here.
Webinars
Webinars and videos for organisations that trade with the EU, updated here.
Passport Rules
Passport rules for travel to Europe: Guidance on passport validity updated here.
Goods Vehicle Movement
Register for the goods vehicle movement service: Translations added for Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish.
Goods Exported through Border Locations
From 1 January 2022, goods exported through border locations will be subject to full customs controls, including:
That traders (or their agent) have submitted the correct customs declaration.
Where that is an arrived export declaration traders are now able to check which locations need an arrived export declaration.
For goods moving through GVMS locations the page has been updated to show which reference numbers need to be shown at the border if you’re exporting goods out of GB.
And details on how to attend an inland border facility have been updated including seasonal opening hours.
For movements that left the European Union (EU) or Great Britain (GB) prior to 1 January 2022
Staged Customs Controls will end at 11:59pm on 31 December 2021.
From 1 January 2022, you can no longer delay your import declarations for 175 calendar days for goods imported moved from the EU to GB, unless you are moving goods from Northern Ireland (if declarations are required) or Ireland.
If you can no longer delay your declarations, you must submit a full customs declaration from 1 January 2022. You can also use simplified declarations if you are authorised or have an intermediary who is authorised for Simplified Customs Declaration Processes.
For GVMS Locations:
If you are moving through border locations that adopt the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), you will require a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) if
For imports into GB, your goods depart or are scheduled to depart from the EU after 11:59pm on 31 December 2021
For exports from GB, your goods depart or are scheduled to depart from GB after 11:59pm on 31 December 2021
If you do not provide a valid GMR you will not be able to board
You can create a GMR from 29 December 2021 if you are importing or exporting goods from GB.
For Inventory Linked Locations:
If you are moving via an inventory linked location, you will no longer be able to use staged customs control methods (i.e. delayed declarations) to release goods if the goods depart from the EU after 11:59pm on 31 December 2021, and you will need to submit a customs declaration to allow the goods to be cleared from the border location.
Helplines
● Export support service
○ Telephone: 0300 303 8955
○ Textphone: 18001 0300 303 8955
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (excluding public holidays)
● HMRC Customs & International Trade Helpline - 0300 200 3700
● HMRC Imports and Exports General Enquiries - 0300 322 9434
● New Computerised Transit System - 0300 322 7095
● DVLA Contact Centre - 0300 790 6802
● DVSA:
○ Vehicle Operator Licensing Enquiries - 0300 123 9000
○ International Road Haulage Permits - 0330 678 1117
● The Office for Product Safety and Standards - 0121 345 1201
● MHRA Customer Service Centre - 020 3080 6000
● National Supply Disruption Centre - 0800 915 9964
● Rural Payments Agency (RPA) Trader team - 0330 041 6500
● Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) - 0300 1000 313
● Defra Rural Services - 0300 020 0301
● Environment Agency England - 03708 506 506
● Forestry Commission - 0300 067 4000
● The Intellectual Property Office - 0300 300 2000
● BEIS Public Enquiries Helpline - 020 7215 5000
● BEIS Business Support Lines:
○ England - 0800 998 1098
○ Scotland - 0300 303 0660
○ Wales - 0300 060 3000
○ Northern Ireland - 0800 181 4422
● Citizen Advice Consumer Helpline - 0808 223 1133
● Department for Education Helpline - 0370 000 2288
● Home Office - UK Visas & Immigration Helpline - 0300 790 6268
● Home Office - EU Settlement Scheme Application Resolution Centre - 0300 123
7379
HMRC also operates a number of services, including:
● Import/export general enquiries can be made by calling 0300 200 3700.
● You can also speak to an adviser online about general import and export queries.
● It is also possible to send a question about imports, exports and customs reliefs.
DEFRA Helplines:
DEFRA also has a number of additional helplines for the commodity you are exporting to the
EU.
For questions to the DVSA on vehicle operator licensing you can call 0300 123 9000. For
questions to the DVLA you should call 0300 790 6802.
The UK Government also operates an online forum where you can access key information
and ask questions directly:
● For customs and tax-related queries