Once you’ve decided what goods you want to import into the UK, you will need to make a customs declaration. Failure to do this properly could cause delays, incur extra costs or even mean your goods are rejected at the border.

Anything to declare?

Generally, you need to make a customs declaration for all goods which you are bringing into the UK permanently. The declaration will cover what the goods are, and how much excise duty, or import tax, and VAT you will need to pay.

Post-Brexit, there are different rules in place for goods which come from Northern Ireland even though it is part of the UK.

Who declares?

You will need to decide whether you are going to make your customs declaration yourself, or hire someone to do it for you.

The do-it-yourself option is obviously cheaper, but employing someone with the technical knowledge needed to cover all bases can save you time, stress and money in the long run.

Details, details!

There are a number of important pieces of information which must be included on your customs declaration, such as your EORI number, the commodity codes of the goods, and the amount of duty you owe.

As mentioned in our previous article, before importing, you will need an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number beginning with GB.

You’ll also need to include the commodity code on your import declaration. More on this in our next article on the Global Freight Academy.

You will also need to work out the value of your consignment to calculate accurately how much duty you should pay.

It is also very important that your goods are labelled correctly, so make sure the person sending the goods to you is aware of all the regulations.

Any certificates or licences that are needed to import your goods should also be kept with the customs declaration, as well as invoices.

You must keep all commercial invoices, declarations and licences for goods you import, as well as evidence of ownership for controlled goods such as firearms.

While it’s important to get your customs declarations right, the process doesn’t have to be difficult and if you need help, we’re alwayson hand. Our friendly, knowledgeable team can be contacted on 01952 270699 or email sales@global-freight.co.uk.