Documentation for EU trade

19/10/2020 update

Customs declarations for the EU after 1^st Jan 2021

Are you one of the 180,00 companies in the UK that export to the EU?  Then there is a new set of regulations that came in on the 1^st Jan 2021.

The government expects the number of customs declaration forms that they have to deal with to go from about 55m pa to 310m pa 

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TheDevTeam

TheDevTeam specialises in the creation of bespoke software and supply chain management for medium and large businesses.

We have been offering this service for over 30 years and have the experience to be able to deliver complicated bespoke software which is tailored to existing systems.

• If you are exporting to the EU, you need to get all the documentation correct and even getting your head round the mass of acronyms which is the language of these documents, is daunting:
• EORI number,
• Staged or full declarations,
• CFSP (Customs Freight Simplified Procedures),
• GVMS (a notification of intent to proceed to port),
• SAFE framework (World Customs Organisation pre-arrival declarations and risking),

• HMRC CHIEF for export declarations via EDIFACT and XML

• HMRC CHIEF for import declarations via EDIFACT and XML

• HMRC CDS for exports via API-         

• HMRC CDS for imports via API         

• DHL ISF/10+2 filing for US Customs

• HMRC ChRIS EMCS via API for movements of excise goods in duty suspension         

• NCTS Transit – Movement of vehicles and goods in duty suspension through transit countries

• And the much heralded SMART system that the governemnt hopes to launch 'soon' and has now been re-labelled as 'Check that HGV is ready to cross the border' which should provide confirmation that a lorry is customs ready.

The scale of the issue

• If your goods and services are anything other than absolutely standard, you will need to ask an expert and they are going to be extremely busy. The Chamber of Commerce recons that there are 180,000 traders in the UK who only trade with the EU but not with the rest of the world and have never previously had to deal with this level of documentation (this is over 55% of all UK exporting companies).  

The tsunami of paperwork that is heading towards EU exporters is going to be overwhelming and the only way to handle it will be to update computer systems to manage it and we all know the problems of getting software updated in a rush.

There are a greadt deal of software APIs available from the government that will enable your softare to become compliant

Key data:

• Commodity code (determines your tax liability confirmed through CHIEF)
• Procedure Code - what Customs procedures they are likely to be subject to.
• Box 44 product specific
• Live response from CHIEF is linked to the GMVS vehicle declaration
• SMART system is now renamed as 'Check that HGV is ready to cross the border' and this will be the confirmation that a lorry is customs ready.

Do not let any vehicle leave with your goods if they do not have the correct documentation because they will not be allowed into Kent to board the ferry, or worse still, might be rejected at French customs once they are on the other side!

Here are a few other documents that you might need 

• Driving Permit
• EORI number (Application forms https://www.gov.uk/eori)
• Customers Declaration (form C1800 to access Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) and give traders full contact details that need to be linked to their badge. 
• List of 603 Customs Agents available on request.
• Export Licence
• Commercial Invoice
• Certificate of Insurance for Goods
• Transit Document
• Safety and Security Declaration

If you are doing this at scale, it will be important that your Accounts and SAP systems are properly integrated to all the logistics services. 

Please call Stephen Milton on 01424 423827 if you would like to explore the IT integration requirements.