New year brings new Brexit rules into force
To all intents and purposes, the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020. However, some changes to rules were delayed to ease the transition. From 1 January 2022 there are additional customs rules to be aware of for businesses trading with the bloc. What's changed?
Following the UK’s exit from the EU, there have been wholesale changes to the way imports and exports of goods are handled. The agreement struck in December 2020 means that there are no tariffs applied, but import tax has been applicable since January 2021. Certain processes, mainly regarding paperwork, were not initially required in order to allow affected businesses time to get used to the new relationship with their customers. These have now taken effect:
- full customs import declarations are needed for all goods at the time a business or the courier/freight forwarder brings them into Great Britain
- customs controls at all ports and other border locations
- the possible need for a suppliers’ declaration proving the origin of your goods (either UK or EU) if using the zero tariffs agreed in the UK’s trade deal with the EU
- commodity codes, which are used to classify goods for customs declarations, are changing.
Further information is available from HMRC.
Related Topics
-
HMRC updates advisory fuel rates from 1 March 2026
HMRC has published the latest advisory fuel and electric rates (AFRs) for company cars, effective from 1 March 2026. Several rates have changed since the previous quarter. What should employers be aware of?
-
5 April deadline approaching for key tax relief claims
With the end of the 2025/26 tax year now less than seven weeks away, business owners and company directors should remember that several valuable reliefs and elections must be made before 5 April. Which opportunities are about to close?
-
HMRC reminds employers about payrolling benefits deadlines
HMRC is reminding employers of key dates and preparations ahead of the transition to real-time payrolling of benefits in kind (BiKs). With an important voluntary registration deadline approaching, what do payroll teams need to know?
This website uses both its own and third-party cookies to analyze our services and navigation on our website in order to improve its contents (analytical purposes: measure visits and sources of web traffic). The legal basis is the consent of the user, except in the case of basic cookies, which are essential to navigate this website.