Information about transport to the United Kingdom

BREXIT

Transporting goods between Great Britain and the EU: guidance for hauliers and commercial drivers

COVID-19 testing

You must test negative for coronavirus (COVID-19) before you cross the border into certain countries. Check if you need a test and when you should get one.

Free COVID testing is available for drivers and crew of HGVs, LGVs and vans at most haulier advice sites.

Get tested before entering Kent to avoid delays. Drivers and crew using Dover and Eurotunnel will get fast-tracked past queues if they get tested and have a valid Kent Access Permit before arriving in Kent.

Transport of Cargo to the UK

Cross-border responsibilities when moving goods

Trader

It is the trader’s responsibility to make customs declarations and provide the haulage company and driver with the correct documents. This can be done directly or via a third party, for example a freight forwarder, logistics company or customs agent.

Haulage company

The haulage company must ensure their driver has all the necessary customs information and documents and other paperwork.

The haulage company must also make sure that their drivers know what documents to present at each stage of the journey, including:

on road pre-departure inspections – checks to demonstrate border readiness
at ports or train terminals
at customs posts

Driver

The driver must carry the information and documentation provided by the haulage company in the vehicle for the duration of the journey. This also includes information and documentation necessary to meet EU member state requirements. This is because each movement of goods from the EU to the UK is both an export movement for EU authorities and import movement for UK authorities.

It is vital that drivers know what information and documentation is needed, and where, when and how they will be presented and checked.

Inland border facilities

Inland border facilities (IBFs) are UK government sites where customs and document checks can take place away from port locations.

IBFs act as a Government Office of Departure (for outbound journeys) and as Government Office of Destination (for inbound journeys). Hauliers can start and end journeys at IBFs when moving goods in and out of the UK.

Checks for the following movements are carried out at IBFs:

Common Transit Convention (CTC), also known as Transit
ATA carnet
Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) carnet
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Hauliers may need to go to an IBF if they have:

entered the UK or plan to exit the UK via Dover, Eurotunnel or Holyhead and need:
- to start or end a CTC movement
- CITES checks
- an ATA carnet or TIR carnet stamped
been directed there because they are not border ready
been directed there for a document or physical inspection of their load

Safety and security

There are 4 ways in which goods can move across the border:

Pre-notification
Common Transit Convention (CTC)
Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission (ATA)
Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR)

The trader will choose which of the 4 ways to use. Their choice will depend on what is most appropriate for the characteristics of the consignment.

For all these ways, a safety and security declaration is required.

There are two types of safety and security declarations: an exit summary declaration (EXS) and an entry summary declaration (ENS).

A carrier is generally required to submit an EXS to the customs authority of the country from which the consignment is being exported. For consignments exported from the UK the EXS data is normally merged with the export declaration (which is a customs declaration). If it is a separate declaration (e.g. for an empty truck), it is entered into the export control system (ECS) of that country.

A carrier is required to submit an ENS to the customs authority of the country that the consignment is entering into the import control system (ICS) of that country.

Check with your carrier (ferry/shipping line) as, on some routes into the Netherlands and Belgium, the ferry operator performs the ENS procedures on behalf of the haulier. Safety and security data must be provided at the time of the booking.

Safety and security declarations are due on imports to, and exports from GB. However, to allow for the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, safety and security import declarations on goods from the EU to GB are waived for 6 months, up to 30 June 2021. Northern Ireland remains aligned with EU regulations under the NI Protocol.

Safety and security export declarations on goods exported from GB are also waived for 3 months, up to 31 March 2021, for 2 categories of movements:

empty pallets, containers and vehicles moved under a transport contract to the EU (or to other countries for which pre-departure declarations were not required before 1 January 2021)
and movements of goods in RoRo vehicles where there is a requirement for an exit summary declaration

Safety and security requirements apply to other types of movements from GB to EU and continue to apply to goods moving from GB to rest of world (RoW).