Something quite exciting happened recently. Your international trade documentation team here at the Chamber delivered a UK first – and added a new string to the international trade support bow that you need to keep your business moving.
We like to be ahead of the curve, thinking about what’s coming down the line and getting the solution in place before you know you even need it.
The Chamber network, through British Chambers of Commerce, has worked closely with the UK Government since before voters put pencil to paper in the EU Referendum, being the voice of business, pushing for clarity and working to identify the most significant blockages for business and contribute to immediately resolving them.
The CV19 pandemic came at a pivotal moment for UK trade. Its impact on the global economy and the end of the transition period with the EU has resulted in the biggest shift in the way the UK trades with its biggest trading partner since the early 1970s.
UK businesses have seen a seismic decline in business growth, with export sales and investment intentions falling to their lowest since the last major economic crisis of 2008.
So what have we done about it?
In addition to the no small matter of the customs declaration service that launched last year, we recently notched up a UK first for the network by becoming the first Chamber of Commerce to complete a T1 transit document. A T1 allows goods to travel from the UK to an EU destination country without the need to make an import declaration at the first port of entry into the EU.
The team did their first T1 on Thursday, shipping frozen mackerel fillets for from Peterhead to Poland. They received confirmation from BCC this morning that goods had arrived safely – making us the first in the country to successfully deliver the service. Round of applause to all involved!
For example, for goods travelling to Germany by road, you can enter the EU through any coastal port without the need to declare customs. The import declaration can therefore be made in Germany once the transit movement has been completed.
In reality, we helped get a shipment of frozen mackerel from Peterhead to Poland, on time and without any hitches – to much excitement from the team who were delighted to be able to help a long-time customer meet their commitment, reduce red tape and improve efficiency.
We create transit declarations on your behalf using TransitNet, a global transit service offered to approved clients. As holder of the Common Transit Convention (CTC) procedure, TransitNet acts as 'principal' with Customs Authorities in all CTC countries and we are your agent.
We submit and monitor transit declarations on your behalf; and arrange comprehensive bank guarantees through TransitNet to cover duty and tax due on your goods whilst they are in transit. TransitNet operates under EU Common Transit regulations and principles.
The main benefit of moving goods under transit is that no customs duties or taxes are payable as the shipment moves from one country to the next. Duties and tax are paid in the destination country once the goods have arrived and the transit movement is ‘discharged’.
With direct links to the HMRC Customs handling system and all inventory linked ports, we can ensure that your goods, no matter where they enter or leave the UK, will be cleared for onward transportation smoothly. We can help you keep your time sensitive supply chains moving efficiently and economically ensuring custom clearance is accurate, timely and avoids additional costs through delays or errors.
This was a need Chambers identified. T1s were the solution and we took action to bring it to you. The good news is we’re still doing that, with more support services coming in the future.
If you need international trade support, give us a call. Onboard with us for your transit documents and we will get your goods from A-Z