Brexit and changes in transport to Great Britain

The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union was associated with a number of fundamental changes, both for entrepreneurs trading with British partners and for logistics companies dealing with this exchange. So what is the organization of transport to and from Great Britain in 2022?

EORI NUMBER

Due to the fact that the United Kingdom, with its exit from the EU, also left the single European market and the EU Customs Union, is now treated as a third country, and the issues governing the principles of mutual trade are regulated by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom. An entrepreneur who wants to establish or continue cooperation with a British business partner is obliged to register with the Economic Operators’ Registration and Identification, and thus obtain an EORI identification number. This registration is necessary and is intended to streamline and expedite all customs procedures and formalities. The EORI number is assigned one-off, and the number itself is used to identify entities in contacts with customs authorities throughout the territory of the European Union. The entrepreneur may obtain the EORI number on his own through the PUESC Electronic Tax and Customs Services Platform, or commission this task to the Customs Agency acting on his behalf.

ORDER AND CUSTOMS CLEARANCE

As before Brexit, transport from or to Great Britain is based on a forwarding (or transport) order, but now, in addition, such transport requires the necessary formalities and customs procedures*. As the goods leave the territory of the European Union, they are subject to export customs clearance in the country of origin and import customs clearance in the United Kingdom. In the case of imports from Great Britain, goods from a third country are introduced into the European Union and undergo an analogous process of necessary clearance.

Therefore, the entrepreneur, in addition to ordering and providing the logistic company with the necessary documents (invoice, packing list), must also submit an authorization to a selected Customs Agency which will represent him/her before the customs authorities.

IE-529 NOTIFICATION

The basis for the commencement of the transport process is the declaration of the goods for export customs clearance based on the commercial invoice and obtaining the IE-529 notification (release the goods for the export procedure). Then the goods may be transported to Great Britain.

SINGLE ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENT C88

The import customs declaration is based on the single administrative document SAD, known in Great Britain as C88. This document is to be completed by the importer in Great Britain or the customs broker representing him. As the C88 is generated based on the IE-529 notification, it must be delivered to the UK recipient of the goods. Time is of great importance here, because the C88 ** document is obligatory for a vehicle with loaded goods in order to enter a ferry.

BORDER SYSTEM GVMS

Border System GVMS*** (Goods Vehicle Movement Service) is a system used by British services to control the movement of goods. A carrier that transports to Great Britain must register in this system and then generate a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) for a single trip with one vehicle based on the data contained in a document C88. The GMR number (in a barcode format) is then presented to a ferry operator or the Eurotunnel staff to continue the trip. The GVMS system also allows to check if shipment has been randomly assigned by the system to pass through Customs at the UK’s Internal Customs Office (IBF). Important! From October 1, 2022, once generating GMR based on C88, one will need to enter an MRN of the import declaration from the CDS system, as this will replace the currently used CHIEF system.

IMPORT FROM GREAT BRITAIN

The process of import from Great Britain is similar, and whether transport organization and customs clearing is on the side of a shipper or a recipient of the goods depends on the regulations of trade agreements or Incoterms – these should be included in the commercial invoice.

At Silesian Logistics, we control all legal changes on an ongoing basis and adapt our activities to the current requirements – thanks to which we constantly execute both express and import transports. Our team professionally helps clients in preparing the necessary documentation. 

* https://www.podatki.gov.pl/clo/brexit

** https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/import-and-export-single-administrative-

document-c88-status

*** https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-for-the-goods-vehicle-movement-service