Following a significant investment in training and resources Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has been appointed as an official delivery agent for ChamberCustoms, a new customs declarations service launched by the British Chambers of Commerce.
Delivered locally, this new service will offer traders a high level of compliance with HMRC procedures with direct links to all sea, air and road ports and terminals in the UK.
We have built our new system to meet the requirements of the Union Customs Code (UCC), support the anticipated increase in import and export documentation for the UK after Brexit, and provide businesses with access to more of their customs information in one place.
What are the benefits of using the Chamber as your customs broker for exports and imports?
For almost 100 years British Chambers of Commerce have been entrusted by businesses and Government to certify Certificates of Origin and preferential trade documents. This service has ensured that an exporters’ goods are able to enter and be cleared in foreign countries with minimal delay and cost. We have a proven track record in being a partner that both international trade companies and government authorities can trust.
Recognising the potential increase from 55 million import and export declarations to over 290 million after Brexit, the BCC created a high-level training programme for trade experts in Chambers across the UK to deliver this new service.
Crucially there are 200,000 businesses in the UK who only trade with Europe, and who have never had to complete the normal import and export documentation because of our membership of the EU. This is going to represent a very steep learning curve for many businesses and so that is why Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is launching ChamberCustoms. We want to offer Customs Brokerage and Trade Facilitation services to companies that need our help.
Why are we offering customs clearance services?
Currently there are circa 55 million declarations submitted to HMRC every year for imports and exports to and from the UK, post Brexit it is predicted that this figure could rise by an additional 200 million declarations as companies trading with the EU will have to follow global trade rules. This clearly will put enormous strain on the import and export systems.
In addition, ChamberCustoms will have access to the import and export clearance systems for ALL sea, air and road ports and terminals in the UK. This will put us in a good position to work with our freight forwarders who may not have access to all UK port inventory systems. Furthermore, we can access faster payments of duty and VAT through deferment and the flexible accounting system to make import clearance payments to HMRC. This will speed up clearance for importers that don’t have their own deferment account.
For more Information, contact the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber international trade team on 01224 343900 or email chambercustoms@agcc.co.uk