How will brexit affect imports and exports?

The trade agreement, reached on the 24th of December 2020, does not provide for tariffs on trade between the United Kingdom and continental Europe and does not place limits on the quantity of goods that can be traded. More broadly, the Brexit deal is supportive of the free movement of goods.

Although duties and tariffs have been suppressed, for commercial operators who intend to continue to have relations with the UK, it will be necessary to formally and correctly issue a series of documents in order to be able to clear the goods for exchange.

First of all, it will be necessary to have a certificate of origin of the goods, which can also be drawn up through self-certification by the exporter. The origin will be determined according to the rules of the agreement; we will therefore be in the sphere of preferential origin. In the event that the production process of goods also involves the use of materials that do not originate from either party, for the purposes of applying the cumulation rule, the agreement requires that the exporter, in order to make a declaration of preferential origin, must obtain a supplier's declaration, in accordance with the template provided for under ANNEX ORIG-3, which contains the specific origin of the materials used. This declaration may also be in the form of a long-term declaration in the case of recurring supplies from the same supplier.  To simplify, there is no need to use non-preferential certificates of origin issued by the Chambers for export to the UK, unless the goods originate in a third country.

The Agreement also establishes the mutual recognition of the status of AEO and Authorized Exporter, which will greatly simplify customs procedures by allowing self-certification to declare regulatory compliance for low-risk products and simplifications for other specific products.
In addition to the declaration of preferential origin and the relevant proofs of origin, EU exporters will also have to be registered to the REX system and wait for the activation of the New Union Portal. Operators who are still without a REX code will be able to make their origin declaration by indicating their EORI code. This is the identification code for economic entities in the EU customs territory. It is used to carry out customs operations in import and export and to obtain it one must register with the competent customs authority. The EORI in Italy is composed of the ISO alpha-2 code of Italy "IT", followed by the VAT number (partita IVA) or tax number (codice fiscale).

How to present your product to customs?

In order to present your product to customs you need the following documents:

commercial invoice or pro-forma invoice
packing List (PL)
transport document (CMR, B/L, AWB)
declaration of free export
if required, the veterinary/health certificates and the export authorization for DUAL USE goods.

Download the list of necessary documents

You still feel you are not ready for Brexit?

FERCAM continues to guarantee transport to and from the UK, with dedicated support for the handling of customs procedures and specialists available to identify with you the solution that best suits your company's needs. Sign up for our webinar and we will support you in solving the common doubts that companies like yours share!

Read our guide dedicated to Brexit

The confirmation of a Soft-Brexit deal was a real Christmas gift for companies that operate or export to British territory and for many categories of goods and services. Although customs duties and tariffs have been removed, commercial operators who intend to carry on relations with the UK, will need to formally and correctly issue a series of documents in order to clear the goods intended for exchange.

FERCAM drew up this guide following a webinar, during which our experts answered the participants' questions and clarified open doubts regarding the new trade agreements with the UK.

Do you need further help?

Over 70 notices are available on the European Commission's website covering a wide range of economic sectors. They are designed to help all market players prepare for Brexit and are continuously updated with additional sectors and information, and will be translated into all EU languages. We invite you to consult the websites of the active European Commission services and agencies in the sector that interests you and your company. For further information and assistance, please contact the national authorities, the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the competent trade association.

A further guidance can be found in the Commission communication "Preparing for the turnaround" and in the "Notices on preparations" to stakeholders of the individual sectors, published by the Commission services.