With Brexit only weeks away and the government still working to forge future trade ties with the bloc, you could be mistaken for thinking that everything is still up in the air. However, there are many things you can be doing to ensure your business is ready for the transition.
At Cloud Commerce Pro, we have been working hard to ensure everything is in place within the system to allow you to enter all the new information you need when trading with the rest of the world as a non-EU country, as well as trading with the EU itself.
There are three main pieces of information you are going to find yourself using more after Brexit:
EORI Numbers (Economic Operator Registration and Identification Number)
HS Codes (Harmonised System / Commodity Codes)
Country of Origin Codes
EORI Numbers
Businesses and people wishing to trade must use EORI numbers as an identification number in all customs procedures when exchanging information with Customs administrations.
If you trade between the UK and non-EU countries, you’ll already be aware of the requirement for an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) Number. However, this requirement will now apply to any UK business trading within the EU from January 1st 2021. In addition to that, you will need another EORI number to trade with Northern Ireland post-Brexit.
For a guide on how to add EORI numbers to your system in Cloud Commerce Pro, click the link below:
For more information regarding EORI numbers, you can also check out our blog post on the subject:
HS Codes
Harmonized System Codes, often referred to as commodity codes, are a standardized numerical method of classifying traded products. They are used by customs authorities around the world to identify products when assessing duties and taxes and for gathering statistics. They begin as 6 digit codes administered by the World Customs Organisation, but other countries can add to the codes depending on their needs usually ending up with a 10 digit code.
HS codes classify goods for import and export so you can:
fill in declarations and other paperwork
check if there’s duty or VAT to pay
find out about duty reliefs
You can look up HS codes on using the governments trade tariff tool via the link below:
For a guide on how to add HS codes in Cloud Commerce Pro, click the link below:
Country of Origin Codes
Also known as ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes, these are a simple three letter code used to represent each country of the world as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
For a guide on how to add country of origin codes to products, click the link below:
Additional Information
If you are still feeling a little unprepared and overwhelmed by the impending changes to UK trade, you might want to take a look at our blog post that takes a more general look at what we can all be doing to prepare for this historic economic shift.
Regarding the VAT
The below information does not substitute advice from your accountant. If you have any questions or doubts seek professional consultation.
If you are based in Great Britain (UK minus Norther Ireland)
Selling a product into the EU is considered an import by the EU
As such Import Tax (VAT) will be due
If you choose not to charge VAT at the rate of the destination EU country, the customer will be required to be pay it on top in order to accept delivery
You must record and report the EU-VAT charged, but you can simplify this by signing up to IOSS
Orders sold to EU VAT-Registered businesses can no longer be 0% rated for VAT, as this is an EU Reverse Charge Mechanism
If you are based in Northern Ireland
Selling a product into the EU can be zero-rated for VAT until you exceed sales of £8,818 in total, across the EU, at which point you must register for VAT in the countries you sell to
You must record and report the EU-VAT charged, but you can simplify this by signing up to OSS
An order sold to an EU-VAT-Registered business can continue to be 0% rated if they provide you with their VAT number
