Please find below information on new compliance actions for imports from EU/EFTA:

• Importers must ensure that goods enter Great Britain via a designated and category-specific Border Control Post (BCP) or Control Point (CP)
• When prompted at BCP or CP, importers must present the products for inspection to undergo any mandatory identity and physical checks.
• Note that existing inspections of high-risk plants and plant products from the EU, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein will move from Places of Destination (PoDs) to BCP and CP’s.
• Before submitting the import notification, importers of fish or fishery products for human consumption must upload the Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) documents to the CHED import notification created in IPAFFS.

Changes to import rules from non-EU/EFTA risk-assessed countries will also apply from 30th April 2024. They will align with the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) scheme and will see a simplification of import rules, requirements, and physical checks for certain product categories. Find out more about BTOM risk categorisation here.

Additionally, HMRC and Defra import notifications and custom declarations, which allow the system to provide the SPS inspection decision for the import notification to CDS, will be extended from non-EU countries to include imports from EU/EFTA countries. Hence, from 30th April, EU/EFTA importers will need to:

• Submit the import notification to Defra’s Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) first, and then the customs declaration to HMRC.
• If any inconsistency between the documents is found, the system will generate a “No Match” error. The importer will be notified and prompted to fix it before the consignment reaches the port of departure. Otherwise, the goods will be directed to the BCP on arrival in Great Britain.

If you have any questions on your imports or require customs consultancy, have a look at our customs management services or reach out to us at.