Border procedures
Border procedures in transport from Poland to the United Kingdom
What the border looks like after Brexit: SIVEP sanitary checks, GMR and GVMS, PBN for Ireland, and the full export and import process.
How does border clearance from Poland to the United Kingdom work?
The load goes through two clearances: export in the EU and import in the United Kingdom. On top of that come safety data, a GMR before the crossing, and SPS and SIVEP checks on food and plants. Below we show the process step by step and the most common pitfalls.
Border procedures in transport: SIVEP, SPS checks, GMR, PBN, ATA
SIVEP · GMR · PBN
The border process: export and import
Export from the EU (outbound)
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01
Export declaration
We file the export declaration in the Polish customs system and receive an MRN.
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02
Confirmation of exit
After release for export we watch for the message confirming the goods have left the EU.
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03
Safety data to the UK
A safety and security declaration (S&S GB) reaches the British system before the vehicle arrives at the border.
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04
GMR before the crossing
Through GVMS we prepare a GMR that ties all declarations for one vehicle together.
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05
The crossing
The vehicle boards the ferry or shuttle with a complete set of documents, ready for clearance on the British side.
Import to the United Kingdom (inbound)
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01
Import declaration
On the British side we file the import declaration in the CDS system.
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02
EORI GB and VAT
We check the EORI GB number and the import VAT settlement, most often through PVA.
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03
SPS and SIVEP checks
For food, products of animal origin and plants, the load may be sent for a sanitary check at a border control post.
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04
Release into circulation
Once the declaration is accepted and any check is done, the goods are released into circulation in the United Kingdom.
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05
Delivery to the consignee
The cleared load travels to the final consignee or to our warehouse in Milton Keynes.
More
Procedures and documents at the border
The BTOM model: SPS risk categories and import requirements for Great Britain
The BTOM model sorts SPS goods into risk categories: low, medium and high. The category decides on health certificates...
Sanitary checks on a load at the UK border: step by step at a control post (BCP)
What a sanitary check on a load at the UK border looks like in practice: documentary, identity and physical checks at a...
SIVEP: France's veterinary and phytosanitary border checks
SIVEP is France's veterinary and phytosanitary border inspection service. We explain which goods it covers on import to...
GVMS: how the UK system works and the carrier role
How the UK GVMS based on pre-lodgement works, what the GMR number is and exactly what the carrier does at the crossing.
GMR: what it is and who prepares it
What the GMR number in GVMS is, what it is for, and why the carrier cannot create it without GB import documents.
ENS stop words: list of unacceptable goods descriptions (ICS2)
What ENS stop words are, why a vague goods description blocks an ICS2 declaration, and the full list of phrases the...
GB import clearance, what to prepare
What to prepare for GB import clearance: a GB EORI, goods data and tariffing, customs value, the GMR and ENS, and the...
The customs tariff code (CN/HS): how to find it and why it matters so much
The tariff code decides the duty rate, VAT, requirements and restrictions on import and export. We explain the...
Dover-Calais or the east coast ports: which corridor for which delivery
The short strait via Dover is not the only way into Great Britain. Sailings from Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Hoek van...
Vehicle lists and sailing manifests on ferries to GB and IE
A vehicle list and a sailing manifest set out the vehicles and loads a ferry operator needs before check-in on routes...
What a freight ferry booking includes and why the driver cannot buy a ticket at the gate
A ferry reservation for a truck is not a ticket like the one for a car. We take a freight booking apart: freight...
More
What can go wrong at the border
Missing SPS certificate or SIVEP pre-notification: how you lose sensitive goods at the border
Goods of animal or plant origin without a health certificate and pre-notification will be stopped at a border control...
Cargo stuck in Ireland without a PBN: who pays for the standstill and the missed sailing
Without a valid PBN and a good-to-proceed status, a truck cannot board the ferry or leave the terminal in Ireland. That...
What you cannot send to the UK: banned and restricted goods in road freight
Pepper spray, certain knives, products of animal origin, plants, alcohol, medicines, dual-use items, lithium batteries...
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