General
Importing & exporting wine from 1 January 2021 (inc VI-1 document requirements)
Will an XI country code be introduced for Northern Ireland?
CDS is aware of the EU's introduction of the XI/XU EORIs and Country Codes. Please note, CDS will not accept the new XI or XU country codes on a declaration and traders must continue to declare GB country codes on their declarations. If XI or XU country codes are declared, the declaration will be rejected. There will not be a separate country code introduced for NI. Tariff measures which are specific to Northern Ireland are driven by the AI code declared on the declaration and 'at risk' status of the commodity code.
Additionally, CDS will not be compatible with XI EORI prefixes on 1 January 2021 and traders will need to use their GB prefixed EORI on CDS until further notice.
From: HMRC CDIO EPS Enterprise Integration Services, received 13/11/2020
Checking a UK VAT number
A new service has been launched Gov.uk: Check a UK VAT number
Goods in
If your goods are dispatched on or before 31 December 2020 but received from 1 January 2021
You do not need to complete a UK customs declaration or pay customs duty in the UK if:
the goods are travelling under a recognised excise scheme at that time
you can show that the movement started on or before 31 December 2020
The import requirements and any sanctions that may apply to these goods will be based on UK excise legislation and duty points that apply at the time the movement from the EU started.
HMRC or Border Force may ask for evidence of the date and time your goods were dispatched. You can show this by providing:
for excise duty suspended goods - the eAD or a commercial document containing the ARC
for excise duty paid goods, either:
the request to import excise goods bought duty paid in an EU member state (HM4)
the Simplified Accompanying Administrative Document (SAAD) form
If you cannot prove the date and time your goods were dispatched, the movement will be treated in the same way as one that started from 1 January 2021 and customs import procedures will apply.
Closing movements that started on or before 31 December 2020 but received from 1 January 2021
If your goods arrive in the UK from 1 January 2021 but were dispatched from the EU before this time:
you cannot use EMCS to create reports of receipt and close the movement
you’ll need to provide a paper document to HMRC that includes the same information as an EMCS report of receipt to close the movement
Tariff
Will all currently zero rated ‘Tariff preferences’ (ACP etc) continue to be zero rated?
All products that currently have a zero tariff through the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences will continue to have a zero tariff in the UK Generalised Scheme of Preferences. Furthermore, we have already made arrangements to provide tariff reductions through various Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). This includes the transition of the UK-Southern Africa Customs Union and Mozambique (SACU+M), the UK-Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), the UK-CARIFORUM, and the UK-Pacific EPAs. We are continuing to engage with other partner countries, including but limited to, the East African Community, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon.
From: Department for International Trade (Business Readiness Transition Team), received 14/10/2020
Will the 25% additional import tax continue to be charged for US imports?
From 1 January the UK intends to continue applying rebalancing measures in response to US Section 232 tariffs on UK steel and aluminium, of which the commodity code referred to below is a part [2208308200]. The UK will also consult on the transitioned rebalancing measures to ensure they are in the best interests of the UK economy and steel and aluminium industry.
You can read more here- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-announces-new-approach-on-us-tariffs
From: Department for International Trade (Business Readiness Transition Team), received 10/12/2020
What changes will there be to quota numbers?
From the most commonly used quota numbers among our customers, Defra have confirmed the following:
The three order numbers I’ve set out below are ones I recognise as belonging to Tariff Quotas. From the end of the transition period order numbers will start 05.xxxx rather than 09.xxxx, but the last four digits will remain the same.
091558 – Sparkling wine from North Macedonia. This quota has been agreed as part of the UK’s Partnership Trade and Cooperation Agreement with North Macedonia. The new UK order number will be 051558.
091892 – Wine from South Africa. This quota has been agreed as part of the UK’s Economic Partnership Agreement with SACU nations and Mozambique. The new UK order number will be 051892.
091893 – As above. The new UK order number will be 051893.
Details of all the trade agreements with non-EU countries can be found here. A list of the UK quotas available from 2021 will be published on gov.uk before the end of the year once relevant legislation has been published.
When the new page is published, as soon as we know about it this page will be updated with the link to it.
EMCS
Undischarged ARCs at the end of transition
There will be an electronic end-to-end electronic message solution (for Member States that can support it) and an automatic data cleanse solution before the end of May 2021 for EMCS movements that are unable to be closed via the report of receipt process.
We would encourage businesses to raise reports of receipt rather than reply on the automated process. Especially as functionality will allow all GB and NI consignees to submit reports of receipt for EMCS Member State movements from 1 January 2021 on UK EMCS.
From: IT Service Manager of CDIO EPS Enterprise Integration Services, part of the Software Developer Support Team at HMRC, received 19/11/2020, reference EMCS-3626
From 1 January 2021, will pre advices for goods received from the EU switch to using the ‘From Importation’ Receipt Type?
No, ‘European Receipts’ will continue to be used.
Are VI1 certificates required for wine imports to the UK from 1 January 2021?
See: Gov.uk: Importing and exporting wine from 1 January 2021
Goods out
From 1 January 2021, will orders for goods being despatched to the EU switch to using the ‘Export’ Stock Movement Type?
No, ‘EC Warehouse Underbond’ will be renamed to ‘EU Export’ and that movement type should be used, this applies to anything which would’ve previously used the ‘EC Warehouse Underbond’ movement type and also duty paid despatches.
How to SEED check post EOTP?
GB traders will be removed from Europa’s website, Northern Ireland traders will remain. To SEED check a GB trader post EOTP, users are advised to use the ‘Pre Validate’ button in the VB EMCS screen.
Stocks in free circulation prior to the EOTP, and post EOTP exported to the EU?
From 1st Jan 21, goods moving from GB to the EU will be treated as an export and a declaration will be required. For exporting excise goods, please refer to guidance on gov.uk via the following link. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exporting-excise-goods-to-the-eu-from-1-january-2021?step-by-step-nav=1faad9b3-e5ef-47f6-a3ba-4715e7e4f263
It may be possible to reclaim any excise duty paid in the UK on alcohol. (This is also covered in the link above).
The importer/buyer in the EU will need to make an import declaration to the relevant EU Customs Authority and account for customs duties due to EU Customs authorities, (this scenario can therefore be viewed as effectively paying customs duty twice on the same goods). It is however a matter for EU Customs to advise further on their procedures/requirements on imports to EU).
NB. This may change subject to any UK – EU Free Trade Agreement
In order to avoid accounting for customs duties twice (UK & EU) businesses may wish to use customs facilitations to suspend payment of customs duties on goods imported into the UK. You can find further details on gov.uk via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/pay-less-or-no-duty-on-goods-you-store-repair-process-or-temporarily-use
Such facilitations exist now and will largely continue from 1st Jan 21.
From: IT Service Manager of CDIO EPS Enterprise Integration Services, part of the Software Developer Support Team at HMRC, received 25/11/2020, reference EOT-3961
Is there any requirement in order to use Postponed VAT Accounting?
No, as the system currently automatically identifies ‘Acquisition VAT’, from the EOTP onwards it will continue to do so for stocks receipted before the EOTP. For stocks receipted after the EOTP, instead of using ‘Acquisition VAT’, the same entries (plus receipts from ALL other countries - not just the EU) will use ‘Postponed VAT Accounting’.