The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. New rules and processes on importing and exporting goods between the UK and all the European countries that we ship between were enforced from 1 January 2021.
1 January 2022 - Next phase of regulations - Ending Staged Customs Controls (ESCC)From 1 January 2022, full customs controls will be introduced for goods moving between the EU and Great Britain, except for goods moving from the island of Ireland to Great Britain. The government has confirmed that current customs arrangements for goods moving from Ireland and Northern Ireland to Great Britain will be extended for as long as discussions between the UK and EU on the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) are ongoing. This temporary extension avoids any disruption while discussions with the EU over the operation of the NIP take place.
Full customs controls are still due to be introduced as planned on 1 January 2022 for goods moving between the rest of the EU and Great Britain, and for goods exported from Great Britain to Ireland. For goods moving between the EU and Northern Ireland, the current arrangements under the NIP continue to apply.
To support customs controls on goods, particularly those locations with limited space or infrastructure, the government has introduced the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS). This system supports the pre-lodgement model for imports, the standard and arrived control model for exports and also facilitates transit movements.
The UK Government has published this information paper confirming the export processes available to traders using GVMS.
The government has also created easy to understand guides for hauliers, intermediaries and drivers using the short straits to move goods from the EU to Great Britain. These are available here in English, Romanian, Polish, Dutch, Lithuanian, Hungarian, French, Spanish, German, Czech and Bulgarian.
It also created information leaflets about the new rules in various languages and recently held import and export webinars.
From 1st January 2022 on many of our routes you will need a GMR from the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) in order to transport freight to and from Europe. On some of our routes this applies to both imports and exports.
All products of animal origin (POAO) and Animal By-Products (ABP) consignments coming from the EU to GB (except from Ireland), must now be pre-notified on IPAFFS, and all plants and plant products categorised as ‘regulated and notifiable’ will need to be pre-notified on either IPAFFS or the PEACH system.
In accordance with the government regulations, vehicles without valid import and export declarations will not be able to board the ship.
We have updated our step-by-step route guides (below) to include the 1 January 2022 requirements. Our guides also provide links to websites where you can submit the necessary declarations.
HMRC have been made aware of some common user errors occurring when customers are creating Goods Movement References (GMRs) into the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS).
If you’re moving goods through border locations that use GVMS, make sure that you:
If you do not do this, you will be unable to board the vessel.
HMRC continues to undertake a wide variety of engagement activity with stakeholders to ensure they understand the new obligations and processes which will be in place.
Register for GVMS and find out how to move goods through ports that use the service.
Read more about how to register:
| UK to Belgium | Belgium to UK | ||
| UK to Netherlands | Netherlands to UK |
Please note that the information on our website is not exhaustive. While we will make every effort to keep you updated, we recommend that you use the latest information from the UK government. Full details and updates can be found at www.gov.uk/transition including email alerts.
If you have further questions, please refer to our Brexit Help Centre and if you require further information please do not hesitate to contact us through your usual contact or via freightsupport@poferries.com. When contacting us, please tell us which route(s) your question is regarding and be as specific as possible as this will help us to provide a response as quickly as possible.
