On the 28th of April 2022, the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency announced that the new controls for EU-UK movements, which were previously due to take effect on the 1st of July 2022, have been delayed until further notice.

In his initial statement, Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg said:

"The remaining import controls on EU goods will no longer be introduced this year - saving British businesses up to £1 billion in annual costs… Instead the Government is accelerating our transformative programme to digitise Britain’s borders, harnessing new technologies and data to reduce friction and costs for businesses and consumers. This is a new approach for a new era, as Britain maximises the benefits of leaving the EU and puts in place the right policies for our trade with the whole world."

This comes as the Government announced that there will be no further import controls introduced this year on EU goods.

Customs Controls delayed until 2023

While all existing controls will remain in place, the following have been delayed until the end of 2023:

Why has the government delayed the upcoming controls?

As living and energy costs rise due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Government is looking for ways to reduce the pressures on businesses to increase prices.

According to the cabinet office:

"The Government has concluded that it would be wrong to impose new administrative requirements on businesses who may pass-on the associated costs to consumers."

As a result, the government has chosen to delay these additional controls until next year at the earliest, and will be publishing a Target Operating Model this autumn in order to establish their new plan for border import controls in 2023.

What does this mean for businesses?

Businesses will no longer need to prepare for the new import controls for July.

And according to the Government, these changes will also save businesses an expected £1 billion this year.

How are we preparing to help our customers?

We are using this extended period of time before the import controls take effect to learn and strengthen our services, so that when they are implemented in 2023, we will be ready to support you with these changes.

Organising your freight ferry tickets and the correct customs paperwork can seem like an impossible task. But at Freightlink, we can help you with both. From import and export declarations to port passes, ENS and EXS declarations, we’ll help you get your goods from A to B.

To learn more about how we can assist you with your freight ferry bookings and customs declarations, get in touch with one of our experts today.