UK Customs Declaration Service and imports control postponed to 2023
UK new Customs Declaration Service will replace CHIEF. Also, the import controls expected for July are delayed.
The UK’s new Customs Declaration Service will replace CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight). CHIEF will close in two phases:
- After 30 September 2022: import declarations will no longer be accepted through CHIEF.
- After 31 March 2023: export declarations will no longer be accepted through CHIEF.
The change to the new Customs Declaration Service or CDS must be done before CHIEF closes. HMRC urges business operators and intermediaries to make the change as soon as possible as it may take some time.
According to the information published, the Customs Declaration Service offers some advantages in comparison with CHIEF:
- Allows the submission of customs documents digitally and safely.
- Provides access to full financial historic information through one single dashboard.
- Sends real time notifications and alerts on your customs declarations.
- Allows the opening of a duty deferment account, making payments by card or bank transfer preventing delays when clearing the goods.
In order to ease the transition to Customs Declaration Service, the HRMC has designed a Trader Dress Rehearsal service to practice realistic business scenarios using the real accounting data in a simulation environment.
Have a look at our UK VAT manual.
Import controls postponed
After Brexit, UK has postponed the introduction of some import controls on goods coming from the EU territory. Some of these were expected to be introduced as from July 2022, however, these have been postponed again.
Some of these import controls are Safety and Security declarations, further health certification and SPS checks, prohibition, and restrictions in the import of chilled meats from the EU.
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