New UK Trader Scheme has been launched

Traders are being urged to consider whether they need to sign up to the new UK Trader Scheme (UKTS) to ensure they don’t pay tariffs on the movement of goods into Northern Ireland from Great Britain where those goods can be shown to remain in the UK’s customs territory on January 1.
By Una Culkin
Published 25th Dec 2020, 09:09 BST

Launched on Monday (December 14), businesses can now apply for a UKTS authorisation, allowing them to self-declare goods not ‘at risk’ of moving on to the EU after entering Northern Ireland.

This means they will not be subject to EU duties on goods being sold to or used by consumers after entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, regardless of the outcome of the UK-EU FTA negotiations.

Businesses who do not sign up could have to pay tariffs on their goods, unless they are eligible to claim a waiver.

Registering for UKTS is a simple and straight-forward process, which businesses can do online at GOV.UK.

The scheme is open to traders of all sizes and across all industries who operate under the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP).

Traders who want to declare goods not ‘at risk’ from January 1 will need to apply for authorisation by December 31. Traders will be granted a provisional authorisation for a period of up to four months whilst HMRC processes their applications.

The government’s £200 million Trader Support Service (TSS) also provides education and guidance on ‘at risk’ goods for NI and GB businesses. To register for the TSS visit https://www.tradersupportservice.co.uk/tss.

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Related topics:TradersGreat BritainNorthern IrelandHMRCFTA