Brexit - Information
The UK and EU trade deal that was announced on Christmas Eve provides more clarity for UK and EU trade from the end of the transition period. As our own teams work through the detail of the deal, we’d like to confirm the essential requirements for shipping from 1 January 2021.
Customs Declarations will be required from 1 January 2021 for shipments between Great Britain and the European Union (and vice-versa).
Although the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement refers to ‘zero tariffs’ (zero customs duties), this doesn’t replace the need to generate a Customs Declaration and so a Commercial or Pro-forma Invoice is required. The trade deal only applies to Customs duties, meaning that in most cases Customs duties will not be applied to goods fulfilling all necessary “rules of origin” requirements. However, VAT will still be levied. Customs declarations are therefore required for goods to clear the border, as the UK will have left the single market and the customs union. Country-specific restrictions will still be in place and any associated licenses will also be required.
Rules of Origin Requirements
In order to benefit from the EU-UK Trade Agreement ‘zero tariff’ (zero Customs duties), it’s essential that you provide evidence of the country of origin in the Commercial or Pro-forma Invoice for both B2B and B2C shipments – please do this using the statement below for UK or EU goods fulfilling the relevant rules of origin requirements. Without the statement, it will not be possible for DHL to claim the duty relief, and it may not be possible for DHL to amend the documentation post-clearance without additional charges, if at all.
