October 31, 2019 is the scheduled date for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. However, the institutional scenario is not very clear; thus, it is still difficult to forecast what will happen once the “Brexit” will come into force.
The position of the EU
The European Commission will propose to postpone – from December 31, 2019 to July 31, 2020 – the deadline for the implementation of the EU regulation on the connectivity between the EU and the UK. When this extension will be approved, the EU transportation license will be applied until July 2020, even if the United Kingdom will leave the Union on October 31, 2019.
The position of the United Kingdom
Up to this day, British PM has continuously confirmed that the UK will not demand another extension on Brexit. Nevertheless, in September 2019 the House of Commons approved a law that requires the Prime Minister to have a deal for Brexit or ask for another delay.
In any case, this law from the UK will not guarantee a deal-Brexit, since any agreement and/or extension shall be confirmed by all 27 countries in the European Union.
In case of deal Brexit
If the UK and the EU will reach an agreement, it will surely imply easier customs terms for goods with origin from the EU or the UK that are delivered to one of these two destinations.
In case of no-deal Brexit
If you already import and/or export from/to extra-EU countries you already have all the documents that will be needed to ship from and/or to the United Kingdom.
If you currently work only inside the European Union, you will have to comply to the new requirements. As a matter of fact, the UK will be treated as an extra-EU state.
What documents will be needed?
1. EORI Number: It is required for exporters and importers. It is compulsory – without it customs operations cannot be fulfilled.
2. Invoice: it shall carry these pieces of information:
- EORI number of the sender and of the consignee
- Number of packages
- Gross weight
- Net weight
- Goods value
- Incoterms
- HS code
- Goods origins
3. Free import/export declaration
4. Other declarations/certifications that may be required, depending on the type of goods.
For customs clearance
Before your shipment, we suggest you to communicate us a referent for your consignee in the UK, so that we can enable our British agents to reach your consignee and complete customs clearance operations. This will help you avoid extra charges – due to goods transfer to another customs broker – and delays in your transit time.
Border controls
The reintroduction of customs controls for your goods could extend waiting times at the border and extra charges.
Our teams are currently monitoring the situation, and are at your disposal to help you in this delicate phase. If you need any further information, don’t hesitate to contact us at: brexit@dbgrouup.net.
D.B. Group
