Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Companies need a minimum three-month transition period for new regulation, even if a Brexit deal is agreed, say Europe’s small businesses.
SMEunited, the organisation which represents small businesses at an EU level, say businesses need a phased introduction to trading with Britain post-EU.
In order to allow SMEs necessary preparation time for new customs rules, transport requirements, phytosanitary tests and more, a phased three-month transition is required, says SMEunited. Otherwise, the new conditions will have serious repercussions for SMEs on both sides of the Channel.
>See also: How Brexit is going to affect your business – #1 imports
SMEunited warned many SMEs are struggling to adapt to the changing status of the EU-UK relationship. SMEunited has been encouraging its members to inform SMEs of the changes to EU-UK trade conditions, such as new customs rules and transport requirements.
Craig Beaumont, chief of external affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses said: “Some border checks and payment rules are already delayed to July, however small firms will need time to get to grips with the new requirements. We have asked the government to include in the deal a phased introduction of new trade arrangements for the most complex areas,
Tag Archive for Export & Logistics
Hot Business News Today
How Brexit is going to affect your business – #2 exports
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Exports are one of the areas that will change for business after the Brexit transition period comes to an end.
There’ll be no change if you’re shipping to other parts of the UK or outside the EU. However, if you’re exporting to the EU, you’ve got some bits to factor in.
If we have a hard/no-deal Brexit, we’ll become a third country, where goods will need to be cleared at customs. To deal with these changes, you need to address the following seven areas.
Get an EORI number
As with imports, you’ll need an Economic Operator Registration Identification (EORI) number to export goods to the EU. An EORI has 12 digits and starts with GB.
If your business is service based rather than goods based, you may not need one. But if you are exporting to your business space in the EU, you’ll still need an EORI number.
Read more by heading over to EORI number: what it is and how to get or check one.
Have a look at your commodity/tariff codes
The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System or Harmonized system (HS) will have a run-down of codes you need to export to the EU. You will need these codes
Hot Business News Today
How Brexit is going to affect your business – #2 exports
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Exports are one of the areas that will change for business after the Brexit transition period comes to an end.
There’ll be no change if you’re shipping to other parts of the UK or outside the EU. However, if you’re exporting to the EU, you’ve got some bits to factor in.
If we have a hard/no-deal Brexit, we’ll become a third country, where goods will need to be cleared at customs. To deal with these changes, you need to address the following seven areas.
Get an EORI number
As with imports, you’ll need an Economic Operator Registration Identification (EORI) number to export goods to the EU. An EORI has 12 digits and starts with GB.
If your business is service based rather than goods based, you may not need one. But if you are exporting to your business space in the EU, you’ll still need an EORI number.
Read more by heading over to EORI number: what it is and how to get or check one.
Have a look at your commodity/tariff codes
The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System or Harmonized system (HS) will have a run-down of codes you need to export to the EU. You will need these codes
Hot Business News Today
How Brexit is going to affect your business – #1 imports
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
You will have to declare all post Brexit imports
As EU businesses, UK retailers did not previously have to declare goods arriving from suppliers also within the EU. Post Brexit, all businesses will have to declare all imports arriving from within the EU. This is already the case for importing from non-EU countries such as the USA, China and other non-EU countries such as Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Iceland.
You can make the declarations yourself, but most businesses use a courier, freight forwarder or customs agent.
If you want to declare customs yourself, discover what to do here.
On the other hand, if you want to use a customs agent or freight forwarder you can find a list here.
New rules for certain types of goods
There will be different rules for importing goods in categories including food, seeds, alcohol and tobacco. You may need to update the licenses and certifications for any products you import that fall under these categories.
Find out more about licences and certifications here
Find out more about rules for food, seeds and manufactured goods here
Find out more about rules for alcohol, tobacco and certain oils here
You will need an EORI number
If you already import from
Hot Business News Today
How will Brexit affect my imports and exports? Where to find customs help
by Ben Lobel • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Ben Lobel on Small Business
UPDATED: The Government has admitted that British companies trading with Europe will have to fill in an extra 215 million customs declarations a year post Brexit.
And this post Brexit customs bureaucracy burden will cost British businesses around £7bn a year, according to Government officials.
You will need an EORI number
UK businesses trading with EU countries need to obtain an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number if they do not already have one. UK businesses trading with the EU should (if they do not already have one) apply for a UK EORI number from HMRC, to ensure they can still move their goods into and out of the UK post-Brexit. You can apply for a UK EORI number here.
You will also need an EU EORI number
You will also need an EU EORI number when you export to the European Union. You should apply for an EU EORI number from the customs authorities in whichever EU state you deal with the most, to ensure you can still move your goods into and out of the EU. Get this from the customs authority in the EU country where you submit your first declaration or request your
Hot Business News Today
How will Brexit affect my imports and exports? Where to find customs help
by Ben Lobel • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Ben Lobel on Small Business
The Government has admitted that British companies trading with Europe will have to fill in an extra 215 million customs declarations a year post Brexit.
And this post Brexit customs bureaucracy burden will cost British businesses around £7bn a year, according to Government officials.
One way to relieve the burden for businesses will be to use a customs agent to process your Brexit paperwork. Some 50,000 new private-sector customs agents will have to be hired by businesses to deal with UK-EU border paperwork after December 31, 2020.
In 2018, former HMRC head Jon Thompson estimated that the cost of each customs declaration could be £32.50 each but that could go as high as £55.
What does a customs agent do?
A customs agent – also known as a customs broker or import broker – works to make the import and export of goods run smoothly, by facilitating the clearance of goods through customs.
Customs agents are experts in international trade – it’s their job to keep abreast of the changing rules and regulations, and make sure that their clients have all the paperwork and licenses they need to import goods to the UK.
What’s the difference between a customs agent
Hot Business News Today
5 things to remember when exporting for the first time
by Mike Wilson • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Mike Wilson on Small Business
More and more start-ups and small companies are incorporating international sales as a core part of their business strategy from the get-go. Exporting for the first time is something more small businesses are thinking about.
In fact, around 10 per cent of all UK SMEs are exporters, with hungry, outward-thinking small firms breaking international markets and capitalising on the average £287,000 additional sales revenue each year which facilitating international orders can deliver for small businesses.
And research from the Government’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance, has found that firms trading internationally grew at a rate of over 15 per cent compared to just 8.4 per cent for those focusing on domestic markets over the last two years.
But exporting for the first time can be a tricky operation, particularly for firms with little experience of selling overseas, or indeed for small and sometimes very successful local business looking to expand horizons into new markets.
So, what are the key challenges for businesses exporting for the first time? What are those key barriers to entry?
>See also: Exporting: Liam Fox to announce financial support package for SMEs
5 things to remember when exporting for the first time
#1 – Identifying
Hot Business News Today
Government issues small traders with EORI numbers as no-deal ramps up
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
The Government will automatically enrol companies with customs identification they need to keep trading with the EU should a no-deal Brexit happen.
HMRC will allocate more than 88,000 firms with an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number in the next fortnight – double the existing number.
These unique identifiers are needed to track companies trading with the EU and collect duties.
Read: EORI number: What it is and hot to get or check one
Letters informing companies of their EORI number will start arriving as early as today.
Non-VAT registered businesses will still have to apply manually.
So far, 72,000 companies have EORI numbers. A total of 245,000 firms would need one an EORI number in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Earlier this month, the Liberal Democrats revealed that only 27pc of businesses which trade solely with other EU member states had obtained an EORI number.
Businesses without an EORI number will be unable to continue to trade with EU member states.
Government sources accused Philip Hammond, the former Chancellor, of blocking the automatic rollout of EORI numbers while he was at the Treasury.
Earlier this month Chancellor Sajid Javid ordered the Treasury to step up preparations
Hot Business News Today
Small business exporters shrug of threat of no-deal Brexit
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
As Prime Minister Boris Johnson assembles his “war Cabinet” to confront Brussels with the threat of a no-deal Brexit, small business exporters have shrugged off the risk of Britain crashing out of the EU.
The majority of UK SMEs that export internationally are more worried about President Trump’s “America First” trade policies and the risk of a global economic slowdown than Britain exiting the EU without a deal.
In addition, the majority of SME businesses say Brexit uncertainty has had “no effect” on their company’s international strategy, according to a survey.
In fact, 47pc of SMEs surveyed by OFX, are looking to start or increase sales to Western Europe in the next year.
Overall, British businesses are still keen to engage in global trade, with almost half (48pc) having increased sales by an average of £45,000 in the last year. Meanwhile, 44pc expect to start or increase international sales within the next 12 months.
However, President Trump’s protectionist trade policies – which include the threat of new tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of European goods — have spooked SMEs. Western Europe has overtaken the US as businesses’ favourite export market.
Sarah Webb, president UK and Europe at OFX,
Hot Business News Today
Delivery tips: The 12 do’s of Christmas logistics
by Ben Lobel • • 0 Comments
It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but, for retailers at least, the Christmas season is also one of the busiest. Indeed, Christmas spending reached £77.56 billion in 2016 in the UK. These seasonal peaks in demand bring with them a unique set of delivery challenges which need to be carefully planned
The post Delivery tips: The 12 do’s of Christmas logistics appeared first on Small Business.