Claim a waiver for duty on goods that you bring to Northern Ireland from Great Britain
Find out how to claim a waiver if you are bringing goods into Northern Ireland from Great Britain which might otherwise incur ‘at risk’ tariffs
New rules for January 2021
The UK has left the EU, and the transition period after Brexit comes to an end this year.
This page tells you what you’ll need to do from 1 January 2021. It will be updated if anything changes.
Check what else you need to do during the transition period.
From 1 January, you will need to make declarations and may need to pay any tariffs due when bringing goods into Northern Ireland from Great Britain or from countries outside of the EU. If you are bringing goods into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, you may be eligible to claim a waiver on Customs Duty, which means that you would not have to pay the duty owed.
If you do not have experience in customs or would like to find out more information, you can register with the Trader Support Service which can support you with this process.
When you can claim
You can claim a waiver for duty on goods you bring into Northern Ireland from Great Britain which might otherwise incur ‘at risk’ tariffs if you have not exceeded the allowances set out below at the point your import declaration is submitted.
It is currently not possible to:
- claim a waiver on duty for goods that might incur ‘at risk’ tariffs when entering Northern Ireland from countries outside of the EU and the UK. You may be able to make a retrospective claim for these goods at a later date if you have not exceeded the allowances set out below. More guidance on this will follow shortly
- claim a waiver on duty for goods if you import any goods classed as primary agricultural goods and/or goods belonging to the fishery and aquaculture sector. More guidance for traders operating in these sectors will follow as soon as possible
How much you can claim
If you are eligible to claim a waiver you must do this at the point your import declaration is submitted. Waivers for duty on goods that would otherwise incur ‘at risk’ tariffs are provided in the form of ‘de minimis aid’. This is measured in euros.
Allowances and de minimis aid
Most businesses can claim up to a maximum of €200,000 of aid over 3 tax years. The period of 3 years is assessed on a rolling basis. This means that each time you receive a new grant of de minimis aid, you need to take into account the total amount of de minimis aid granted in the current tax year and during the previous two tax years. The maximum allowance includes all de minimis aid you claim over a period of 3 tax years such as:
- de minimis aid unrelated to waivers for Customs Duty
- de minimis aid granted through any other scheme – such as Employment Allowance
Lower allowances apply for 3 tax years to businesses in the following sectors:
- Road Freight Transport for hire or reward – the maximum allowance is €100,000 over 3 years
- Fisheries and aquaculture – the maximum allowance is €30,000 over 3 years
- Agricultural primary production – the maximum allowance is €15,000 over 3 years
If your business operates in more than one of these sectors, the lowest allowance will apply. You cannot currently claim a waiver for Customs Duty if your business operates in the fisheries and aquaculture sector or the agricultural primary production sector.
If your claim exceeds the allowance for the sector that your business is in, you may be subject to recovery proceedings and have to pay interest on the amount you have claimed.
How the allowances apply
Your de minimis allowance applies to the whole of your business, referred to as a ‘single undertaking’. This includes any enterprises linked to your business that have at least one of the following relationships with each other:
- one enterprise has a majority of the shareholders’ or members’ voting rights in another enterprise
- one enterprise has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of another enterprise
- one has the right to exercise a dominant influence over another enterprise pursuant to a contract entered into with that enterprise or to a provision in its memorandum or articles of association
- one enterprise, which is a shareholder in or member of another enterprise, controls alone (pursuant to an agreement with other shareholders in or members of that enterprise) a majority of shareholders’ or members’ voting rights in that enterprise
For example, you must count any de minimis aid received by a parent company or subsidiary as part of your single undertaking’s de minimis allowance.
Before you claim you should check that your business (as a single undertaking) has not exceeded the maximum allowance.
Exchange rate
This type of aid is measured in euros, so it is important to convert any aid received from pound sterling into euros.
You can use this exchange rate tool to calculate the applicable euro equivalent of the value of the waiver for the month you were awarded the aid.
Before you make a claim
Before you claim a waiver for duty, check you’re within the de minimis allowance for your sector. Your allowance includes all de minimis aid you have claimed during the current tax year and previous 2 tax years from all UK public authorities, including central and local government. By claiming a waiver for Customs Duty, you are making a legal declaration that your claim will not result in you exceeding the allowance for your sector.
Example
A business is eligible to claim a waiver for duty because the amount of de minimis state aid they received is below the sector allowance.
Claim year – 2020 to 2021 (for example, they claim on 30 March 2020).
Sector – industrial
De minimis aid 2018 to 2019 = €1,000
De minimis aid 2019 to 2020 = €1,200
De minimis aid 2020 to 2021 = €5,739 (this includes £4,000 of waivers for Customs Duty, converted into euros)
Total de minimis aid = €7,939
Allowance for industrial sector = €200,000
This is under the €200,000 allowance.
Example
A business is not eligible to claim a waiver for duty as the amount of de minimis state aid they have received is above the sector allowance.
Claim year – 2021 to 2022 (for example, they claim on 5 June 2021).
Sector – industrial
De minimis aid 2019 to 2020 = €1,200
De minimis aid 2020 to 2021 = €150,739 (this includes £4,000 of waivers for Customs Duty, converted into euros) De minimis aid 2021 to 2022 = €70,439 (this includes £4,000 of waivers for Customs Duty, converted into euros)
Total de minimis aid = €222,378
Allowance for industrial sector = €200,000
This is above the €200,000 allowance.
De minimis aid could include subsidised contracts, loans or grants. If you are unsure about whether something counts as de minimis aid, you should contact the authority who provided you the aid to check
How to claim
You need to complete a customs declaration each time you move goods. The Trader Support Service or your own customs agent will be able to complete customs declarations and make a claim on your behalf.
If you complete customs declarations yourself, you can use the UK Trade Tariff: volume 3.
- You claim a waiver for customs duty on your import declaration. This is the only way you can make a claim.
- Fill in the Customs Duty waivers form to give us more information about your waiver claims after your import declaration has been submitted.
- Save and print the form.
- Send the completed form to: Customs Duty waivers, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1XW.
- You must print an extra copy of the form and keep it for 10 years from the date you send it to us.
When you first claim a waiver
You must make sure that we receive the Customs Duty waivers form by no later than 10 working days of you making your first claim.
How often you’ll need to fill in the Customs Duty waivers form
After you’ve made your first claim
You do not have to send a form each time you claim a waiver. You only have to send a form on a quarterly basis, beginning with the quarter following your first claim, and only if you have claimed at least one waiver in the quarter. You must ensure that we receive the form within 10 working days of the end of the quarter.
What you’ll need to fill in the form
To fill in the Customs Duty waivers form, you’ll need:
- your EORI number
- your business name, address contact telephone number and email address
- the total amount of aid you have received for Customs Duty in the last 3 tax years
- the value and source of any other de minimis aid you have received in the last 3 tax years
If you’re a customs agent
If you’re an agent claiming on behalf of your client, you’ll need to:
- have permission from your client to claim a waiver
- use both your EORI and your client’s EORI
- ensure your client understands which aid allowance applies to them based on the sectors they operate in
- ensure your client holds information about all other de minimis aid claimed in the last 3 tax years so that their aid allowance is not exceeded
- record accurate information on aid claimed against a duty
- ensure you or your client submits the Customs Duty waivers form when necessary
- provide details of each aid claim to your client so that they are able to retain records as required for 10 years
