4 weeks to go - New import controls are coming on 30 April

New import controls have been introduced and further changes will come into effect from 30 April 2024.??

From 30?April 2024 traders must: ?

· Ensure goods arrive through an appropriately designated Border Control Post?(BCP)?or?Control Point (CP) for your commodity type?

· If called, present the consignment for documentary, physical and identification inspections at the?BCP?or?CP?

These requirements will apply to EU and non-qualifying Northern Ireland Goods entering?GB?from the island of Ireland no earlier than 31 October 2024, with the precise date to be?confirmed.?

Import notifications and customs declarations - get ready, get it right?

HMRC and Defra services working together?

From 30 April, HMRC/Defra systems will cross-check the CHED import notification & customs declaration for each consignment of goods subject to SPS controls imported from EU countries. This is already in place for non-EU countries.?

To avoid the consignment being directed to a BCP when it may not need to attend, the CHED import notification reference and commodity codes must be consistent between the notification and the customs declaration. Follow these steps.?

· Submit the import notification using IPAFFS before your customs agent submits the customs declaration using Customs Declaration Service.?

· Use the new Copy function to copy the CHED reference and customs Doc code in the correct format for the customs declaration.??

· Send to your customs agent together with a PDF copy of the import notification. Ask them to double check the commodity codes are the same in the customs declaration. They should also check that there are no special characters in the description of goods field (Data Element 6/8).?

· Work with your customs agent to fix any errors shown on CDS or IPAFFS before the consignment reaches the port of departure, to avoid it being directed to a BCP when it may not need to attend.??

Use of a scanned copy of an Export Health Certificate?

For a three-month period from 30 April 2024 a temporary easement will be in place to enable the full requirements of a documentary check to be satisfied when a scanned copy of an original Export Health Certificate (EHC) or Phytosanitary certificate (PC) is provided in an importer’s prenotification. Where a scanned copy is provided, the original EHC or PC should be provided to competent authorities within five (EHC) or three (PC) business days of a consignment’s arrival.??

The temporary easement will only apply to EHCs for animal products and by products from the EU and to PCs for plants and plant products from the EU, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. You should continue to adopt fully digitised certification as soon as possible to reduce the requirement to undergo in person documentary checks at the border once the three-month easement period ends.?