Customs Planning

If your business imports and exports products into the UK or within the EU, you should plan your customs activities to be compliant with HMRC's rules without overpaying duties and import taxes. The Customs People are here to help. We can assist your business in planning and addressing Customs and Duty matters or guide you during the process of applying for Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status.

At The Customs People, our extensive experience of working in the VAT and Customs industries has shown us that 80% of businesses enquiring about our services in these areas are unclear about their obligations. With this in mind, we endeavour to assist firms throughout the whole customs planning process, as well as train and advise your team on compliance, VAT reliefs and other aspects of the Customs system.

Contact us at The Customs People today for advice on your customs planning. Call 0161 826 8926, or fill in our online query form.

What is customs planning?

Customs planning is a structured approach to the complex requirements of cross-border trade. This process helps businesses to optimise their import and export activities by helping to comply with customs regulations while maximising efficiency. By anticipating and addressing potential challenges, customs planning enables companies to align their operational goals with international trade rules, creating a smoother, more predictable movement of goods. This approach can also reduce costs by identifying potential savings opportunities within customs duties and streamlining procedures to avoid delays.

What are the three pillars of customs management?

Customs management rests on three central pillars:

• Compliance: ensures that all actions align with relevant customs regulations, reducing the risk of fines or disruptions.
• Cost-effectiveness: focuses on identifying opportunities to reduce or eliminate customs charges through methods like tariff classification and strategic planning.
• Operational efficiency: supports seamless movement by integrating customs processes into daily business activities, minimising delays and enhancing consistency across the supply chain.

Together, these pillars form a framework that can help businesses manage customs obligations effectively while supporting growth in international markets.

The importance of customs planning

Customs planning is a necessity for any business involved in the international movement of goods. International trade encompasses complex customs regulations and processes that extend far beyond basic import and export procedures and the need to pay duties. These rules impact a wide range of business areas, from product design to the terms of delivery for export customers, requiring a careful approach to avoid unexpected costs. Without structured customs planning, managing these customs procedures can quickly become costly and challenging. What’s more, HMRC puts the onus on businesses to be ‘customs compliant’.

For businesses exposed to trade policy, it’s worthwhile to assess whether they are fully prepared for the demands of customs compliance. Consider the following questions. If you cannot answer “yes” confidently, customs planning should be a priority to support your operations:

• Are you aware of how customs authorities may impact different aspects of your operations, including product design and delivery terms?
• Have you assessed the burden of customs duty costs on your business, as well as other compliance expenses, and their effect on earnings?
• Are you using available means to minimise customs duty costs through methods like free trade agreements, customs duty savings strategies or customs warehousing solutions?
• Does your business have an individual responsible for customs planning, ensuring adherence to customs regulations and monitoring customs compliance?

Those businesses that recognise the cash flow savings, customs duty savings and operational benefits that customs planning can bring, find that it allows them to focus more on their primary goals, rather than dedicating time to resolving issues after they arise. A clear approach to customs planning also supports internal processes, aligning business activities with customs requirements and reducing compliance risks.

With effective customs planning, businesses can leverage opportunities within trade agreements, optimise customs value assessments and manage customs duty costs proactively. Structured customs planning can also help maintain a more predictable cash flow by reducing unnecessary customs-related expenses and integrating customs procedures seamlessly into everyday operations.

Customs reviews

We work on the basis that any Customs review should address three main points:

• Commodity codes: we will assist in ensuring you are using the right commodity codes for the goods you import and/or export.
• Valuation: we will help in ensuring your business is compliant with all Duty and Customs tax and actively look for any opportunities to save money.
• Reliefs: after reviewing your current system, we will make recommendations for, and assist in the implementation of any reliefs that are available to benefit cash flow and overall profits.