Help > General > Brexit Preparation Checklist

Brexit Preparation Checklist

Shipping from the UK to EU countries has changed since January 1st 2021. 

There are some important things you need to know. 

Please read the following information carefully before booking a pallet delivery to Ireland, including Northern Ireland. 

Do you have a valid EORI number? 

To ship goods from the UK to Ireland, both the buyer and seller must have a valid EORI number; You can register for an EORI through Gov.uk.

Without a valid EORI number, your goods will be refused at HM Customs and you may incur additional charges as a result. 

Have you submitted the Commodity Codes? 

For HM Customs to approve the goods you are shipping, you must classify the tariff codes for ALL items. 

The Commodity Codes determine the Customs duties and other relevant charges levied on the goods. 

For help classifying your Commodity Codes, you can always contact HMRC directly and they will be able to guide you in the right direction. 

Do you need to make a Customs declaration? 

Please make sure you notify us in advance of any Customs declarations if items are being temporarily exported from the UK. 

For example, if items are due to be shipped out the UK for repair or exhibition and will later be returned; You will need to complete a Customs declaration form before your goods are exported for them to clear through Customs. 

Are your goods subject to licencing or controls? 

You must know if your items are subject to licensing or controls before shipping them. 

If they are, you will need to liaise with the buyer (or seller) to avoid Customs entry delays.

Do you know the origin of your items? 

To ship goods outside of the UK, HM Customs needs to know their Country of Origin to rule out any restrictions. 

The country of origin should also be displayed on your Commercial Invoice; This will help identify whether your goods are allowed in the country you wish to ship them to. 

What are the packing material requirements? 

The materials used to ship your items should be carefully considered.

You must ship your goods on wooden pallets and these need to be ISPM15 approved pallets. 

You can always ask us for more details through Live Chat if you are unsure!

Have you got your Commercial Invoice and packing list? 

Your Commercial Invoice and packing list must contain all the correct details for us to complete Customs entries on your behalf. 

We cannot express enough that this information MUST be correct! 

Please see our Help Centre for more details on packing list requirements.

Have you nominated a Customs broker? 

When sending a pallet outside of the UK with us, you must nominate PalletOnline as your direct representative so that we can handle Customs declarations on your behalf.

This will allow us to declare and amend export entries for you.

Have you applied for a Duty Deferment account? 

Applying for a Duty Deferment account will help ease the Duty payment process when shipping outside of the UK, to EU countries. 

By doing this, you won’t have to worry about paying any unexpected Customs charges and your items will reach the delivery point. 

Understanding Customs and delays

If working in a time-sensitive sector, you should certainly consider how your customers could be impacted by potential Customs delays. 

For example, time-deliveries, potential penalties for delays, and even short shelf-life products.

Making sure you’ve provided the correct information the first time around will help speed the Customs process up as much as possible, but there may still be small delays. 

Since leaving the EU in January 2021, there are new Customs requirements and paperwork needed when you send a pallet to Ireland, including to Northern Ireland. 

Please note that you DO NOT need to complete any Customs paperwork for Northern Ireland pallet deliveries; We will process this for you. 

For help booking a pallet delivery to Ireland, please contact us on Live Chat and we’ll be more than happy to help you. 

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