As ‘Brexit day’ fast approaches on the 29th March 2019, the notion of a no deal Brexit is slowly becoming more of a possibility. This could have a considerable effect on the way you conduct your business if you operate in any way at the UK border. Thankfully, we have produced a quick help guide with all the key information you need to ensure you’re prepared for this outcome.

This post will be mainly concerned with haulage companies, ferry or channel tunnel operators, freight forwarders, ports and customs agents.

In a no-deal scenario;

• You will need to file safety and security declarations and confirm a customs declaration is in place
• If your drivers are transporting the goods, you will bear legal responsibility for the declaration
• You will need to apply for a UK Economic Operator Registration Identifier (EORI) number, used in the process of customs entry declarations and customs clearance for both import and export shipments

The UK is currently in discussions with the EU to retain membership of the Common Transit Convention (CTC). If we lose our membership then we will no longer be able to begin or complete transit movements in the UK using the CTC process.

The government is also planning on introducing postponed accounting for import VAT on goods brought into the UK, so essentially you can put your import VAT on your VAT return instead of paying it at the border to save confusion and any extra delays that would be caused by an overcomplication of this process. This will be followed for all imports from EU and non-EU countries, which will help to make the most of new trading opportunities around the world. 

There are a number of things you can do now to prepare for the possibility of a no deal Brexit;

• Consider any changes you may need to make if you have the follow the same or similar processes to carry goods between the UK and EU as you do with the rest of the world.
• Assess the impact of an increased demand for safety and security and customs declarations on your business and consider recruiting and training additional staff.
• Consider how changes to transit systems may affect how you move goods
• Register for HMRC’s EU exit update service on Gov.uk
• Consider checking with your customers that they are aware of the potential changes and how these may impact their businesses.

Full details for everything outlined in this post can be found in the 'HM Government Partnership pack: preparing for changes at the UK border after a ‘no deal’ EU exit'