In the latest of our series of weekly Brexit Blogs, Paul Briddon of Lovewell Blake says that even though the outcome of trade talks is uncertain, there are things that we already know about business life after January 1.


With just two weeks to go before the end of the Brexit transition period and - at the time of writing - the trade talks rumbling on, businesses remain in the dark about whether there will be a deal or not. Even so, here are ten certainties all businesses can work with while they wait for the politicians to provide clarity.

1. Importers and exporters will have to make customs declarations, as if trading with countries elsewhere in the world. HMRC estimates this will add around £7.5 billion in costs to British businesses.

2. Business importing or exporting goods to or from the European Union will require an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number that starts with GB. In theory this is still possible to achieve before the end of the year, but only if you act fast.

3. Businesses will require special licences and certificates to import or export certain products, including plants, live animals and some foods.

4. For imports (but not exports), the imposition of full controls on goods entering the UK from the EU will not occur until July 1, 2021 – though there will still be checks for controlled goods.

5. Import VAT will no longer be applicable for consignments with a value of less than £135. Instead, the seller must charge UK VAT, so will need to be registered with HMRC and account for UK VAT.

6. Except where existing EU trade agreements have been rolled over, exports to non-EU countries that are currently covered by existing EU trade deals will be covered by World Trade Organisation ‘Most Favoured Nation’ rules, which may mean that tariffs are payable.

7. Businesses selling goods that currently require a CE certification mark will need to replace the CE mark with the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark where those goods are sold in England, Scotland and Wales. However, there is a longer transition period for this change, so goods with a CE mark may still be sold until January 1, 2022.

8. Passports will have to have at least six months left until expiry. We don’t yet know if visas will be required for business travel, but it seems likely.

9. You may continue to employ existing staff members who are EU citizens, provided they apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by June 30, 2021. If you recruit EU citizens after January 1, you need to be an approved sponsor (application typically takes eight weeks).

10. New rules will apply for businesses that hold data on EU citizens. However, the same GDPR protections and requirements will continue to apply after January 1.

For more information, see www.lovewell-blake.co.uk