From 31 January, businesses moving goods from the European Union to Great Britain will need to comply with new UK safety and security declaration requirements.
Some businesses are already prepared – around3 million safety and security declarations for EU imports are made voluntarily each year – but many others need to get ready.
HM Revenue and Customs’ Director of Customs Policy & Strategy, Alex Pienaar, explains what it means for your business and how you can prepare.
What’s coming and why?
Since EU Exit, imports from the EU have continued without the need for a GB safety and security declaration but this waiver is coming to an end.From 31 January, safety and security declaration requirements for EU importswill be in place.
Safety and security declarations provide pre-arrivalinformation for all goods entering GB, and they are submitted into an IT system called Safety and Security Great Britain (S&S GB).
Mandatory collection of pre-arrival data for EU imports will enable more intelligent risking of goods, so legitimate goods are less likely to be held up at the border which means less disruption to your business whilst preventing illegal and dangerous goods hitting our streets.
The process has been designed with a reduced data requirement than that currently required for Rest of the World import declarations so it’sstraightforward for businesses new to making import declarations (also known as an Entry Summary Declaration) and more streamlined for those already doing it.
Data required on EU imports will be aligned to thatfrom imports outside of the EU. Thosewho are already submitting safety and security declarations, including those voluntarily making declarations on imports from the EU, can continue using their systems without any change,but have the option to use the reduced dataset.
It’s vital that declarations are completed accurately and submitted by the legal deadline (before goods arrive at the GB border)otherwise your business’s goods risk being held up for unnecessary checks or even a penalty so it’s worth preparing now.
Whois affected by the new regulations?
Allbusinesses who import from the EU to GB need to be aware of the new regulations and how they might impact them. Hauliers and carriers are legally responsible for making the declaration, although third parties such as agents and intermediaries can also submit the declaration on behalf of the carrier with their consent.
- By Rail –the rail freight operator is responsible for ensuring the declarations are submitted
- By Air or Sea– it’s the shipping company or the airline
- Roll On, Roll Off –it’s the haulage company for accompanied goods or the ferry operator for unaccompanied goods
Businesses who have only ever imported goods from the EU are most affected by the changes and may be required to provide more information to their carriers than they currently do for the carrier to complete the declaration. Businesses who import from the ‘Rest of the World’ and those who already make voluntary declarations from EU will already be familiar with the process.
More information about who is responsible for making the declaration and the time limits for submitting your declaration can be found on https://www.gov.uk/
How are S&S declarations submitted?
Businesses will need to make S&S declarations via the S&S GB IT platform.
Businesses who are already set up to submit declarations from ‘Rest of the World’don’t have to make any changes to their systems and can continue to fill in the full dataset if they prefer.
Visit https://www.gov.uk/ for details on the dataset.
How do I get started?
There aresteps businesses can take now to get ready to use the S&S GB service.
- Talk to your supply chain. Agree who is responsiblefor submitting S&S declarations from 31 January, what information they will need to complete the declaration, and how to make sure it will be made available to them
- Make sure you have the right software. The S&S GB service doesn’t have a user interface so specialist software is needed to lodge declarations.
There are a number of ways you can do this:
- You can develop software in-house by using the HMRC developer hub:
- Purchase compatible software. Visit GOV.UK to check the list of software developers:
- Employ the service of a Community System provider:
Register and enrol- for S&S GB
To register you’llneed a Government Gateway Account and password. You’ll also need information about your business, a full list of what you’ll need to register can be found here
Test your software – Once you have the software, werecommend you test it before 31 January to ensure you’re set up correctly. If you already use softwareto make import declarations, check it’s compatible with the reduced data set requirement.
You can test your software in the testing environment in the HMRC hub.
Making declarations
Before you start making a declarationmake sure you have the details you need about your goods to meet the mandatory data requirementto avoid any delay.
If any information changes, your declaration can be amended at any time up until the time the goods reach the GB border.
Once the declaration has been accepted you will be issued with a Movement Reference Number which can also be included if your goods are to be sent to ports using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service. Lastly the declaration will be risk assessedby Border Force and, if no further intervention is needed,your goods can continue on their journey.More information on submitting an Entry Summary Declaration.
To get ready for Safety and Security declarations for EU Imports, go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safety-and-security-requirements-on-imports-and-exports
