From 31 January 2025, all goods imported from the European Union to Great Britain will have to be accompanied by an Entry Summary Declaration (ENS).
Facilities Introduced
The amount of data required on the ENS will be reduced, providing for 20 mandatory fields to be completed on all declarations, together with 8 conditional fields that will only be required in certain circumstances. The remaining 9 fields will be optional.
Recommendations for Companies
Ready companies are encouraged to start submitting safety and security declarations by 31 January 2025.
It is advisable for companies to engage in dialogue with their supply chains to agree who will be responsible for completing declarations for EU imports into the UK from this date, and to determine the most appropriate method of doing so.
Responsibility for Submission
Carriers or drivers are legally responsible for the submission of security and safety declarations. However, a party other than the carrier may assume this responsibility provided there is a formal agreement between the two parties.
Impact on Border Security
These declarations will provide important additional information to support the fight against the entry of illicit goods, such as drugs and weapons, into the UK, and will help ensure that border interventions are based on accurate risk assessments.
Additional Preparations
The UK government has announced a £10.5 million investment to help ports prepare for the EU’s new digital border system, known as the Entries and Exits System (EES). This system will require UK nationals travelling to the EU to register at the border, including facial scans and fingerprinting to create a biometric digital record.
It is crucial that businesses prepare for these changes and ensure they comply with the new requirements to avoid delays or penalties in the import process.