FAQs & Resources
CustomsPro should not be used for the export of Excise goods, particularly when these goods are in a Duty Suspended state. The reason behind this restriction lies in the requirement of including the Electronic Case Management System (ECMS) reference in a specific field of the export declaration. Unfortunately, CustomsPro currently does not support the inclusion of this critical information.
If you have any shipments of this nature, we kindly request that you refrain from entering them onto CustomsPro. Instead, please open a support ticket with us, and our support team will take it from there. They will be responsible for completing the necessary declaration on your behalf. As part of this process, our staff will also reach out to the exporter, if needed, to confirm whether the goods are indeed duty suspended. In such cases, they will obtain the required ECMS number. If the goods are duty paid, an ECMS number is not necessary.
To aid in identifying Excise dutiable goods, please take note that the first 4 characters of the commodity code are as follows:
2203 (Beer)
2204 (Wine)
2205 (Fortified Wines)
2206 (Ciders/Perry)
2207 (Ethyl Alcohol)
Furthermore, please be aware that goods covered by a commodity code starting with 2208 (spirits such as Whisky, Vodka, etc.), as well as 2402 (Cigarettes) and 2403 (Tobacco), ChannelPorts prohibit involvement in the clearance of these goods.
The words “provenance” and “origin” of goods are often used interchangeably. Nevertheless, they have different meanings. Particularly in the world of customs matters. “Provenance” relates to the customs status of the goods. Are they Union goods (goods that are produced in the EU, or that have already been imported from a non-EU country) or non-Union goods (goods from non-EU countries)? “Origin” refers to where a product is manufactured, produced or grown.
Outward Processing allows traders to temporarily export goods from the UK for processing or repair in an EU country or any other country in the rest of the world. The process enables the trader to claim full OR partial duty relief when the goods are re-imported to the United Kingdom.
Inward Processing Relief (IPR) is a customs regime which allows goods to be imported into the UK for processing without paying Customs Duty and VAT on the initial movement.
Incoterms are the terms and conditions of delivery of goods between buyer and seller. They describe all obligations, risks and costs involved in a transaction. Incoterms are known and accepted worldwide. They reduce the risk of misunderstandings between all who are involved in the logistics process, because it is clear in advance who is responsible for what. It’s no coincidence Incoterms have to be included on your commercial invoice. The most common Incoterms are : EXW (Ex-Works), DAP (Delivered at Place) and DDP (Delivered Duty Paid).
PVA allows businesses to declare and recover import VAT on their VAT returns rather than having to pay at the time of import.
Guidance on Postponed VAT Accounting
It is the trader’s legal responsibility to ensure declarations are submitted. Failure to do so could be subject to financial civil penalties imposed on the trader by HMRC under the Customs Civil Penalty (CCP) system.
UKBF (UK Border Force), Plant Health (DEFRA), Trading Standards and all other government departments have access to your cargos information and can stop it in order to do routine checks and prevent illegal items through ports.
From July 2022, special checks will apply to plant and animal products, and these goods will be subject to additional phytosanitary or veterinary inspections.
These requirements include various categories of goods, from live animals and seedlings to used farm machinery and firewood. For example, a phytosanitary certificate (PC) will be required for the import of seedlings, root and tuber vegetables, non-frozen fruit, cut flowers, certain types of seeds, etc. More information can be found on the government pages on importing plant and animal products.
“RoRo” “is an abbreviation of Roll On – Roll Off, a type of ship adapted to transport cargo on wheels.
The cargo enters (rolls on) onto the ship and leaves it (rolls off) on wheels, and is not loaded using e.g. cranes or terminal equipment. In the context of customs clearance, this means that although goods enter the UK on board a ship, they are treated as road transport in “RoRo” ports.
Commodity codes can be found in the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, in short, Harmonized System – HS. They specify exactly the type of goods being transported. Using the appropriate code makes it easier to assign the correct Customs tariff to the goods. You can check the codes on the UK government website.
As a CustomsPro customer you will be charged a single flat fee for all standard export clearances. T1 Transit documents are also free of charge if these are completed alongside the export declaration.
Customs clearance will be required before the goods arrive at the border. To avoid costly delays and downtimes, it is worth establishing cooperation with a professional customs clearance organisation such as ChannelPorts as early as possible.
An EORI is a unique identifier for importers and exporters in the UK issued by the EORI team at HMRC. It is needed to process import and export declarations for traders. If you do not have an EORI and want to start importing or exporting you will need to obtain an EORI as one of the first things you do. The link to do so is below.
A T2L is a document that is used to prove the status of goods going to special territories of the EU such as Canary Islands.
Please use our contact form if you have any questions and we will contact you at your preferred time.
ChannelPorts is authorised to complete and stamp these documents. Please get in contact here to discuss your needs.
ATA Carnets will need to be presented at an approved premise to be endorsed, you can find a list of approved premises here.
A commodity code is a 10-digit number allocated to goods to classify goods. Every item will fall under a commodity code and this dictates the duty rating. It also informs if there are any import or export restrictions. You can find further information on actual commodity codes here.
Yes and you will also need to complete an online application transfer of residence (TOR) found here before moving.
Yes, you will need to be EORI (Economic Operator Registration Identification) number registered. You can find the link here that will take you through that process.
Useful links
External Link
BIFA Standard Trading Conditions (2021)External Link
CustomsPro API DocumentExternal Link
CustomsPro API Document (ENS Safety & Security)Download
Direct Rep FormDownload
Joint Direct Rep Form