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Crafts CouncilMaker support

Brexit advice

Resources and advice for craft businesses, makers and galleries following the UK leaving the EU



    • La Cosecha, Claudia Falquez, wool, cotton & viscose, 2019. Photo: Cassandra Stuyt

    The UK left the EU on 31st December 2020, new rules apply

    You need to take action if you:

    • Sell goods to the EU, you must prepare for new customs procedures.
    • Travel to the EU for work purposes, you may need a visa or work permit and must apply if necessary.
    • Employ overseas nationals you will need to prepare for the new immigration system.
    • Receive personal data from contacts in the EEA (EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), you may need to take extra steps to ensure that the data can continue to flow legally.
    • Provide services in the EU , you must ensure that your qualifications are recognised by EU
    • regulations to be able to practise or service clients in the EU.

    The first step to take is to visit Gov.uk/transition to find out what is relevant to you and your business.

    Craft Scotland have also published A Maker's Guide to Brexit.

    Exporting

    We recommend looking at;

    • Grants available to help small and medium-sized businesses new to importing or exporting
    • gov.uk advice on import, export and customs for businesses.
    • Department for International Trade advice on exporting

    EORI

    You need an EORI number even if you are just posting goods overseas. An EORI number is your Economic Operators Registration and Identification number.

    • Your EORI should start with GB, you may also need a separate EORI number if you move goods to or from Northern Ireland. This needs to start with XI and you need a GB EORI number first.
    • If you already have an EORI number from an EU country, you do not need an EORI number starting with XI.
    • You’ll need an EORI number from an EU country if your business will be making declarations or getting a customs decision in the EU. Get this from the customs authority in. the EU country where you submit your first declaration or request your first decision.
    • If you use a post or parcel company, they’ll tell you if you need an EORI number.
    • If you do not already have an EORI number apply for one at gov.uk.
    • When applying for an EORI number you need a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code -find codes at gov.uk.

    Trade tariffs, duties and customs

    • The new trade agreement establishes zero tariffs or quotas on trade between the UK and the EU, where goods meet the relevant rules of origin. Please see gov.uk advice on trade tariffs.
    • As an exporter you will need to check the rules of the country that you are exporting to. Make sure the goods you are exporting are not restricted and establish what kind of certificate or licence you might need and what duties may be incurred by the importer/client. Use gov.uk checker on duties and customs.

    Sending work through Royal Mail

    Royal Mail has put together a useful how-to guide. What you will need:

    • Customs declaration form. There is one for under items valued at £270 and one for over this amount.
    • You would need to attach a copy of the invoice on the outside of the package (details in the guide)
    • EU & Duties are applicable for items valued over €22.00
    • Commercial items/goods sent to the EU over €150 may attract VAT, customs duties and a clearance/handling fee.

    Classification of goods

    There are new restrictions for animal bi-products being exported to European member states. If you are exporting animal products (animal wool and hair and feathers then it’s likely that you will need to provide an Export Health Certificate to show that the goods being exported meet the rules of the country of destination. Get an Export Health Certificate from gov.uk

    Before applying for Export Health Certificate you should classify your goods and obtain a commodity code from gov.uk which will allow you to determine the specific regulations based on the country that the goods are going to.

    Check gov.uk rules for importing and exporting animal products

    Import duties

    If you have an EU client receiving paid goods, they are required now to pay import duties. First do your research and be clear on how this cost will be paid - by the producer , by the client or split equally.

    Calculate Import Duty and Tax Easily with Simply Duty calculator.

    ATA Carnet

    This ATA CARNET is for taking goods temporarily out of the UK such as samples and equipment. It is valid for 12 months and can be used multiple times.

    Importing

    We recommend you follow the gov.uk step by step guide on importing goods into the UK.

    There are new restrictions, paperwork, costs and processes in place. You do require an EORI number. If you're VAT registered, you can claim back any VAT you paid on the goods you've imported. You’ll need your Import VAT Certificate (C79).

    We are finding a lot of makers are coming across challenges around the materials they import to make their work/products.

    Movement of People

    For clarification, some EU countries merge work permits and visa's as one, some countries they are separate. For any individual working for longer than 90days in a given year will require a work permit or visa. For those not working for longer than 90days would not, however, we do recommend you check before you plan your travel. For clarification, Trade Fairs & exhibitions, After sales and purchasing would not require a work permit or visa if less than 90 days.

    Data

    Bridging mechanism currently in place (for up to 6 months) as negotiations are still occurring. UK are lobbying the continuing of free flow of data. We recommend all businesses and organizations understand their data flows and how they protect their data and show this in their data security policies.

    Intellectual property

    There will be changes to how the Intellectual Property (IP) system and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will operate. These changes will affect:

    • Trademarks and designs
    • Parallel trade from the UK to the EEA
    • Unregistered designs

    You can find out more information about all of these changes in this news story from the IPO.

    Help is available to ensure your business is ready;

    • Consider carefully where to disclose your designs to ensure they have adequate protection in their most important market;
    • If you export IP-protected goods on the secondary or parallel market, contact the rights holder in the EEA to see if you have permission to continue to parallel export.
    • Consider if you want exports to continue if you are a business that owns the IP rights for goods currently parallel exported from the UK to the EEA.

    If you do not take action, there is a risk your business operations will be interrupted. You can find out what other actions you may need to take by using the checker tool at gov.uk/transition and signing up for business readiness updates.

    Many thanks to Briffa Intellectual Property for providing this information for the Crafts Council.

    Travel

    Three must-have items to make travel viable

    • a passport with at least 6 months left on it
    • full travel/third party/health insurance and remember when you get across the channel
    • turn data roaming on your phone OFF, as data roaming charges will now apply (always check your service network).

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