April 2009
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WelcomeWelcome to CCL’s April 2009 newsletter. This month we’re giving you a gentle nudge on the upcoming EORI scheme which takes effect from 1st July 2009. Check our article to see if you need to obtain an EORI number in time for the deadline. We also have important news of the HMRC’s “three strikes and you’re out” approach to the Low Value Bulking Concession. As the spring getaway season is now well underway, we are also highlighting the issue of banned and prohibited products – things you can’t bring into the UK when returning from your travels. So, before you fall in love with that magnificent souvenir in the Moroccan souk, or fill your suitcase with those especially tasty morsels you enjoyed for breakfast every day, make sure you’re allowed to bring them home. We’ve received news that the Courier & Parcel Logistics Expo Asia scheduled for May, at which we were due to be exhibiting, has been cancelled. The impact of global economic conditions on both exhibitors and potential visitors has, we understand, led to this event being put back until market conditions are once again more favourable. But you can’t keep a good business down! Those of you who were intending to make our acquaintance at the event may be interested to know we are now going to be attending the 6th Annual Sino-International Freight Forwarders Conference, from 11-14 June at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. This is the biggest global meeting of the year for freight forwarders, with an expected attendance of more than 1,500 delegates. We aren’t exhibiting at this event, but do please let us know if you’re planning to attend so we can arrange to meet. Enjoy the rest of this issue and don’t forget, for any customs and importation queries, make our friendly and approachable Customer Services team on +44 (0)20 8231 0900 your first port of call. In this issueImportant notice on the Low Value Bulking Concession: "Three strikes and you're out" Important notice on the Low Value Bulking Concession: "Three strikes and you're out"In recent weeks HMRC’s Detection Team, Law Enforcement has been carrying out routine inspections on consignments arriving into the UK. It has uncovered a small number of consignments which have been wrongly declared by a consignor/shipper. Making incorrect declarations suggests that duty and taxes are being evaded – something HMRC takes very seriously indeed. As a result of these misdeclarations by the consignor/shipper, the consignee/importer has been issued with 2 warning letters. This puts both the consignor and consignee in a very difficult position. With HMRC’s “three strikes” policy, a third warning could have a very detrimental impact on their operation, and our ability to service them. We are confident that the majority of shippers are making correct declarations under the concession, but any who are not, are putting their business at risk. To be clear about this, to lose approval to declare under the Low Value Bulking Concession means that every single consignment will need to be declared individually, something which could be prohibitively time-consuming and costly both to the shippers found to be making fraudulent declarations, and to our business. HMRC is vigilant in its pursuit of misdeclaration and we cannot allow our valued customers to put themselves in this position. As a result, we’re taking a rare moment to make a very serious point. No customer using the Low Value Bulking Concession may under any circumstance make an incorrect declaration against any commodities. To do so constitutes a fraudulent offence under the Customs & Excise Management Act 1979 section 49 (1) (e), and is in direct contravention of the terms and conditions of your approval for Low Value Bulking Concession, Article 27 of EC Regulation 918/83 as amended by Council Regulation (EEC) No 3357/91. If you’re ever in any doubt as to how to make correct declarations, don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Services team on +44 (0)20 8231 0900 for advice. Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) Scheme UpdateIn September 2008, HMRC issued a notice, CIP (08) 61, with information on the proposed implementation of EORI in the UK, which comes into effect from 1st July 2009. As time is getting close, we’re reminding you about the EORI system as you may need to get registered. EORI aims to improve security provisions by identifying each economic operator (EO) with a unique reference number. An EO will be required to provide their unique EORI number to a customs authority when they import, export and move goods under a transit procedure. The number will be used for:
If you are approved, or wish to be approved, as an AEO, and/or are required to provide pre arrival/pre departure information, or are involved in the import, export or movement of goods under a transit procedure you will need an EORI number. The implementation of EORI in the UK will replace the existing (TURN) system which will cease to exist from 1 July 2009. Certain of the TURN features will be retained in the EORI system, in particular the format of the number itself. There are a few places to go for further information: Click here for HMRC’s FAQs on EORI. Click here to access the earlier CIP (08) 24 on the HMRC web site. Click here to access CIP (08) 61 on the HMRC web site. Further questions concerning EORI can be sent to HMRC via their dedicated EORI email address: eori.customs&intl@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. Are these your sausages?You may have heard the adverts on the radio recently – the ones that beg the question, “are these your sausages, sir” and advise against trying to bring foreign sausages through customs. Apart from the obvious snigger factor, the adverts are intended to highlight the fact that certain goods are either restricted or prohibited in the UK and you must not attempt to bring them into the country. The rules are there for a reason - to protect citizens’ safety, health and the environment. They apply to all travellers, whether travelling within or from outside the EU. Prohibited goods are banned completely in the UK. Restricted goods are those which cannot be imported without the appropriate documentation, such as a licence. The rules on what constitutes prohibited or restricted goods vary depending on whether you have travelled from within or outside the EU. The HMRC leaflet “Bringing food products into the UK” explains the food-related rules in brief, and indicates where you can go for more detail. You can also find information on food import controls, particularly for businesses wishing to import food, on the Food Standards Agency’s web site here. DEFRA too, advises on imports of food and plant products on their web site. The regulations covering what you can and cannot bring into the UK go beyond food and agricultural products too. Just because you can buy something in another country doesn’t mean that you can freely bring it into the UK. The list of restricted or banned items includes certain videos, weapons, plants, animal skins, ivory products and much more - and be warned, it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re not breaking the law. If in doubt about what you can and can’t bring into the UK, you can contact HMRC directly on their advice line on 0845 010 9000 or email enquiries.estn@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. Q&A - Everything you wanted to know about importing, but were afraid to ask!Here’s the spot where we answer in brief one or two of your more specific customs and importation questions. Q: We are a trading company wishing to import tequila to London, via Felixtowe. Can you assist with importing, customs clearance and road transport from Felixtowe to London? A: Although we have a bonded warehouse in the London area, this facility is purely for general cargo and we are unable to cater for alcohol. For alcohol importation, you will need to locate a facility which is REDS (Registered Excise Dealers and Shippers) authorised. You can find out more details about REDS from this HMRC document. Whilst we are unable to customs clear alcohol, we can assist with collection of the cleared shipment, and delivery to your location. To provide a quote for this, we require the full delivery address including post code, plus a full packing list and the weight/dimensions of your consignment. Q: I’m a sport supplements reseller. I need a customs clearance and freight forwarding service in the UK, to clear my inbound orders from the USA and ship them onward to me in Italy. I would mange clearance in Italy normally, but import policies make this difficult and clearance for Europe via UK would seem to be a good option. Can you assist? A: We handle both customs clearance and onward shipment of a wide range of products. Before we can give you a detailed response in respect of your goods, you need to furnish us with a full description of the supplements – a breakdown of the contents of the shipment including manufacturer’s details – so that we can make a full assessment of the product and how it would be categorised. Coffee Break Story: Networking in ParadiseHere’s another of our ‘coffee break’ stories for your time-out time. Enjoy! So I was sitting there minding my own business, waiting for the vegetable soup to cool and looking forward to the main course - roast chicken, mixed vegetables and a side salad. As I sipped my water and watched the world go by, I couldn’t help but notice that people were walking around with different coloured wrist bands on - yellow, blue, green, red, you get the picture. I was wearing an orange one myself, and being all-inclusive I would have imagined that everybody should have the same colour. But then again if you had children, for obvious reasons they would have to wear a different coloured wrist band from their parents. You couldn’t have them ordering up rounds of boozy fruit punch at the bar after all – they’d get the alcohol-free version. But what about all those different coloured wrist bands? Oh well, that’s what gets your attention when you’re on a break from the rat race, with nothing else to think about apart from what time to wake up, what to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner and which cocktail do you fancy trying this evening, all shaken and stirred with a little sightseeing but a lot more lazing around the pool and topping up the tan. Musings aside, this was the best meal I’d had all week. Not that the food was poor in the resort - it was okay really - but this was the nicest. I was dining alone, and not for the first time this week, as the group I was travelling with had been tempted into the Mexican cantina. I’d tried to steer them clear because a couple of nights back I’d been in there and I’d waited over an hour and a half for my dinner. When it eventually came, it was cold and not at all nice. Tonight’s far more tasty meal would have led to a quiet drink and an early night, but for the fact that around me was a large gathering of sociable, friendly, genuine individuals, most of whom I’d not seen before. They were full of fun, conversations flowing and lots and lots of laughter; maybe something to do with the bottle after bottle of wine hitting their tables. They were so convivial that when they invited me to join them, I didn’t hesitate. We drifted from the restaurant to the main bar and settled in for a bit of a session – bartender bring drinks, more drinks, and more drinks again please! The bar was heaving with several groups of individuals wearing red wrist bands and I learned they’d flown in from all over the world. The room was alive with interesting discussions, heated debates, raised voices (obviously some were more passionate than others); blink once and you could be at a United Nations conference. As it happened, most of the people there were part of a cargo network. They met annually at classy, exotic locations, to do business. Do what? Do me a favour! You lucky bas………., so-and-so’s. These guys all seemed to click - all so friendly and comfortable with one another - all characters in their own way. But then I found out the conference had been running for over 10 years and some of these guys were founder members. Hardly surprising those friendships are so tight - these guys have been networking in paradise for years. All I get is a day stuck in Milton Keynes, and there’s nothing exotic about that unless you count the fake palm trees or the goldfish in that murky tank in the lobby. That’s how we do our AGMs at the dealership and I’ve worked there for over 5 years. I think I need to have a word with the boss! We’re living in times of doom and gloom; credit crunch, recession, call it what you will, it’s here. We know the pressures, we’re dealing with it every day; business is slow, people are suffering. From global enterprises to sole traders, we’re all dealing with it and all feeling our way through. Redundancies, job sharing, overtime cuts, reducing marketing and advertising, limiting travel etc, etc; we’re all finding ways to cope - treading water, our heads just above the surface. There are people who will lose out in a recession, but there are winners too – those who can change fast, get creative, weave gold from straw, spot the opportunities, pick up the pieces. That was the mentality of this group. They called themselves WWPC (that stands for Worldwide Partnership Cargo Network). Check out their website and see what I’m talking about for yourself: www.wwpcnetwork.com. The thing that struck me was this: Yes, we are in uncertain times and, yes, business is in some cases going into freefall. But this group, through thick and thin, have all come together to do business, to network and be optimistic and lay firm foundations for the future. Who knows what will happen? None of us really do, but you have to be in it to win it. Grasp the nettle, deal with what you have to deal with, and move forward. I for one was inspired and captivated by the positivity that permeated the room, and even the whole resort. The jovial, relaxed moods and attitudes of the WWPC people proved to be contagious, drawing in everybody - hotel guests and staff alike. There were other conferences going on too - all themed and very fancy - but this lot stood out, head-and-shoulders above the rest. Anyway, never one to miss an opportunity, I got my foot in the door that evening. You see, I’m in the motor trade and I’m always on the lookout for good new contacts offering better services. I felt like a kid in a candy store. All sorts of resources under one roof, in one room - contacts galore. Then it struck me. I spotted the guy I’d first seen wearing a red wrist band. He was very assured and certainly looked like he knew his stuff. Time to act - I negotiated the crowded bar and approached him. He was polite and accommodating and the longer we spoke the more I felt like I knew him. I explained what I was looking for and asked if he might be able to help. All the right boxes were ticked, everything just kind of fell into place! Business cards were exchanged and we shook hands. I came away with peace of mind, I’d got something fixed, for sure. From then onwards all I could think about was how much money I’d be saving the dealership and how much more profit we’d make and how I’d be ‘flavour of the month’ if not the rest of the year - and how my boss would have to listen to my suggestion about where to have our next AGM..... .....“Are you looking for me?” If you want to meet that very nice gentlemen, who will be very creative with gateway customs clearance solutions and could make you money by saving you money, contact info@customsclearanceuk.com or call +44 208 231 0900 now! |
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| Customs Clearance Limited | |
22nd Apr 2009
