Does your company import from outside the EU? New Tariff now on GOV.UK

19 Sep 2018

Do you import goods from countries outside the EU?

If you currently use the UK Trade Tariff to make customs declarations, you will need to be aware of upcoming changes – now available for you to see on GOV.UK for imports. The changes for exports will be available later in the year.

If your agent or courier completes your declarations on your behalf, you may wish to share this information with them.

Why is the Tariff changing?

HMRC is phasing in the new Customs Declaration Service (CDS) from August to replace the current Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system. As well as being a modern, digital declaration service, CDS will accommodate new legislative requirements under the Union Customs Code (UCC). In order to comply with the UCC, you will need to provide extra information for your declarations which can be found in the tariff.

When will I need to use the new Tariff?

The majority of importers will start using CDS after November 2018, once their software provider or in-house software team has developed a CDS compatible software package. Some importers will start making declarations on CDS before this, but there is no action for you to take unless you have been contacted by HMRC to be part of this group.

For more information on the new Customs Declaration Service and how it may affect your business, please visit the CDS page on GOV.UK.