UK and EU customs border changes

ICS2 advance filings will be used by EU customs to identify high-risk shipments from the 3rd June, while post-Brexit import charges which come into effect on the 30th April have raised fears of UK food price inflation.

The UK Common User Charge (CUC)
The CUC will apply to each commodity line in a Common Health Entry Document (CHED) and the maximum charge for one CHED will be limited to 5 commodity lines, even if there are more than 5 commodity lines present in the CHED.

The CHED is an import notification, that is submitted on the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) to notify authorities in Great Britain about the import, and each commodity line defines a quantity of goods that are entered as a separate item in the CHED.

Delayed by the government five times to give businesses time to prepare and to reduce disruption to supply chains, the CUC will come into effect on the 30th April and applies to imports of products such as fish, salami, sausage, cheese and yoghurt, with the flat-rate of £10 or £29 per commodity, capped at £145.

The Fresh Produce Consortium said the charges would add £200m in costs for the fresh produce sector, at a time it is already struggling with inflation.

CUC rates only apply to goods entering the UK via Eurotunnel or the port of Dover, while the other (circa 30) commercially run entry points will set their own rates.

EU Import Control System 2 (ICS2)
The third release of the European Union’s customs pre-arrival safety and security system, the Import Control System 2 (ICS2), will go live on 3rd June 2024. 

The advanced filing of Entry Summary Declarations (ENS) for deep sea and short sea cargo will still apply to all cargo either discharging or transhipping in the EU, Northern Ireland, or Norway and to cargo remaining on board.

With the new release, the ENS will have to contain more mandatory data elements than today, including Buyer and Seller data, EORI of supplementary declarant in case of multiple filing and data elements such as the 6-digit HS Code with a complete and accurate cargo description. 

We have been sending EU Customs advanced security data in then Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) for years and are continuously developing our CuDoS customs platform and carrier integrations to receive additional data. We will be approaching affected customers with additional information on this process and any additional requirements.

When the ENS information is not provided to EU customs, shipments will be stopped and will not be processed for customs clearance, which will lead to delays and potential fines.

We can guide you on the CUC and ICS2 changes, help you to educate your suppliers and provide full support for all your import and export documentary needs.

Metro are at the forefront of customs brokerage solutions, with our automated CuDoS declaration platform and dedicated team of customs experts, reacting swiftly to any changes in the UK and EU’s trading regimes.

To learn more about CUC or ICS2, or to see how we can simplify and automate customs declarations for your businesses, please EMAIL Andy Fitchett, Brokerage Manager.