The government has launched a new UK Trader Scheme (UKTS) to ensure businesses don’t pay tariffs on the movement of goods into Northern Ireland from Britain where those goods remain in the UK’s customs territory.
Open for applications, a UKTS authorization will allow businesses to self-declare goods not ‘at risk’ of moving on to the EU after entering Northern Ireland so that they’re not subject to EU duty regardless of the outcome of the trade negotiations between the UK and EU.
Businesses who do not sign up could have to pay tariffs on their goods, unless they are eligible to claim a waiver, the HMRC noted.
Traders who want to declare goods not ‘at risk’ from 1 January will need to apply for authorisation by 31 December. They will be granted a provisional authorisation for a period of up to four months whilst HMRC processes their applications.
Those applying must meet some basic requirements and show that they are able to accurately declare and evidence whether goods are ‘at risk’ or not.
The scheme is open to traders of all sizes and across all industries who operate under the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP).