Import & Export Declarations

The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, now in place, means change. It will require adapting to new trading arrangements, rules and regulations. These videos will give cross-border SMEs in Ireland and Northern Ireland an understanding of the process of import and export declarations, and may help you decide if it’s valuable to train a member of staff in this area or to seek the services of a customs agent / third party depending on resources and availability, approximate costings in EURO and GBP are also provided. 

Your step-by-step guide to completing an import declaration

There are a number of documents mentioned in this 13-minute video, for example, a packing list, invoices and shipping instructions. It is recommended that you use these documents in conjunction with this video.

Click here to view documents
Your step-by-step guide to completing an export declaration

There are a number of documents mentioned in this 9-minute video, for example, a packing list, invoices and shipping instructions. It is recommended that you use these documents in conjunction with this video. 

Click here to view documents

Custom Declaration Options

As part of preparations, businesses should consider how they will submit custom declarations and whether they should engage the services of freight forwarders, customs brokers or other intermediaries to support them with these possible new requirements. We’ve listed both these options with estimated costs.

Option 1: Using the Services of a Freight Forwarder or Customs Broker

These are only estimates and costs will vary depending on the service provider:

  • Import Declarations starting at approx. £50/€57 per declaration.
  • Export Declarations starting at approx. £25/€28 per declaration.
  • Please note, due to an increase in demand, it may be difficult to secure the services of a third party.

For a list of who offers this service, please see the links below:

Option 2: DIY

This option includes buying the customs clearance software and completing your own declarations. This will involve up-skilling yourself and/or your workforce.

These are only estimates and costs will vary depending on the service provider.

  • A subscription-based offering, starting at approx. £60/€70 per month.
  • A yearly license approx. £200/€230 and approx. £2/€2.30 per entry to ‘transmit’ to Customs.
  • For the UK you may also need a gateway account, approx. £1000/€1150 per annum, the software for the UK and Ireland is not the same so you may need both.
  • Training on the software starts at £950/€1100.
  • Required port charges (which again vary between ports are usually accessible on the websites of the ports).

We’d love to know if we could improve this information, use the box below to give feedback or request information you’d like to see included.