Universal Customs Clearance Christmas message

As we approach the end of our first year, we would like to wish everyone a safe, peaceful, and merry Christmas and New Year period. However and wherever you are spending it, we hope it will be a good one.

Thank you to all of our customers, clients, and staff who have supported us in our first year of business. Brexit and COVID have made it an uncertain year for many traders, but we have all adapted and grown through the confusion. We are prepared for the next phase of Brexit customs clearance procedures, and look forward to growing with you in 2022.

Christmas and New Year opening times

Over the Christmas and New Year period, we will be open during business days but with limited hours. Our opening times are as follows:

Friday 24th December: open until 13:00.

Monday 27th December: closed

Tuesday 28th December: closed

Wednesday 29th December: open from 10:00 to 16:00

Thursday 30th December: open from 10:00 to 16:00

Friday 31st December: open until 13:00

Monday 3rd January: closed

Tuesday 4th January: normal business hours resume

Looking forward to 2022

More Brexit red tape will be coming from 1st January 2022. Please see the highlights as follows:

GVMS

The Goods Vehicle Movement Service will become mandatory for all Ro/Ro shipments entering and leaving the U.K. You will no longer be able to process customs clearance after arrival in the U.K. A Goods Movement Reference (GMR) will need to be created, along with pre-declaration of the export and import customs clearance, which will be used to process your declarations when the vehicle boards the vessel. Copies of all documents will also need to accompany the vehicle.

Rules of Preferential Origin are becoming stricter

From 1st January, “importers knowledge” will no longer be accepted on commercial invoices that are valued over GBP5500/EUR6000. Importers knowledge is where it is known the goods originate in the EU, but this is not stated on the invoice.

Your supplier will need to be a registered exporter, and display a REX statement on the invoice:

“The exporter (customs authorisation number **********) of the products covered by this document declares that, unless otherwise stated, that these goods are of ** origin.”

Any shipments over GBP5500/EUR6000 that do not have a REX number will require calculation of import duty and payment in full on clearance.

Some foodstuffs will be banned, with the remainder requiring pre-notification on the IPAFFS system

The following foodstuffs will be banned from 1st January, 2022.

– chilled mince meat (beef, goat, mutton, lamb, pork).

– chilled meat preparations – EG burgers, sausages.

– meat that has been mechanically separated from poultry, game, or ratite birds.

– chilled or frozen minced poultry.

– ungraded eggs.

– raw mil from cattle herds with bovine tuberculosis (TB).

Other foodstuffs will require pre-notification on the IPAFFS system. The exception to this rule is any shipments that are arriving from Northern Ireland, apart from high risk foods which are already being monitored.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Universal Customs Clearance!

Enjoy your Christmas celebrations, and we look forward to working with you in 2022!