As a result of Brexit, the way goods move in and out of the EU is changing and businesses that are shipping goods in and out of the UK will be subject to customs clearance from 1 January 2022.

Clarksons Port Services (CPS) has increased its customs clearance solutions to help businesses prepare for the changes that will see UK customs authorities requiring full customs declarations completed to allow shipments across the border.

What is a Customs Declaration?

Whether you are a large multinational company, a small business or an individual, a customs declaration is required for all goods imported into the UK customs territory across international borders. This declaration will list the details of all the goods being imported in the shipment.

The UK Government dropped border controls at the beginning of this year, when Brexit, in combination with the chaos caused by the pandemic, threatened to shut down UK-continental Europe supply chains, but businesses now need to prepare for the end of the transition period.

Christopher Ewings, customs clearance manager at Clarksons Port Services, comments: “We do not believe the sector is ready for the January 2022 deadline – the goods vehicle movement service (GVMS) system should have thousands of companies registered on it, but it’s currently much less, and through conversations with our customers, in the EU, there is great confusion about the changes.

“The start of the new year will see the implementation of import controls – there are no plans to delay this; customs declarations will be due on 1 January and so we are urging businesses to prepare. If businesses are not prepared, goods will not be released by customs until all Duty and VAT and accurate documentation is submitted, resulting in costly delays. By preparing now, exporters are able to remove the risk of underpaying duty and VAT which could lead to potential fines and additional changes at a later stage.”

CPS is working with organisations to help prepare them for these changes.

Christopher continues: “Customs offering will be required by everyone in the UK and EU and all importers, whether large or small, are going to need experienced customs brokers to help with imports and exports.”