05 January 2021

Brexit Update

Since last Friday the Brexit is finally a fact. Just before Christmas, a Brexit deal was closed. Negotiators from the European Union and the United Kingdom (UK) have reached an agreement about their future trade relationship. However, the deal does not mean that shipments to and from the UK are not subject to customs duty, because despite the agreement, customs formalities now apply for every shipment to and from the UK and so you, as the shipper, must provide the required documentation with each UK shipment. 

We, as Mainfreight, are ready for this and look forward to the coming period with great confidence. The first shipments have successfully arrived and been handled in the UK. At the moment the expected traffic at the border is still not there but this can change quickly due to an increase in freight traffic to the UK. Therefore, we cannot yet predict what the coming weeks will look like. 

By means of these Brexit newsletters we as Mainfreight have tried to inform you as well as possible in advance about the Brexit and what preparations were expected of you as a customer. Unfortunately, we notice that not all customers are equally well prepared. Please check, before you deliver the data to us, if your invoice and packing list meet all the requirements to take care of the declaration of your goods. To know exactly what information your invoice and packing list should contain, please refer to sheet 15 of the Brexit manual. If any of your details are missing, if your goods description is not correct, or if your documents reach us after 16.00 hours then unfortunately we cannot ship your shipment to the UK. Your shipment will be delayed.

Contact
We have completely updated our Brexit website with the latest information. Here you will also find the enclosed Brexit presentation that answers the most frequently asked questions.  In addition, you can find more information about transport to customs countries on the website of the European Commission (trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/content).
Do you still have questions or would you like to talk further about the Brexit? Please contact your account manager or our customs team at brexit@nl.mainfreight.com.