HMRC customs intermediary consultation

Author
Fiona Parsons
Senior Marketing Manager - Commercial
1st August 2023

By Joe Goldsworthy, Customs Agent

HMRC are currently consulting with a variety of businesses in the UK with a view to improving the customs intermediary sector.

Consultation with businesses began last year and revealed that whilst there was some satisfaction within the industry, standards were varied, and some businesses expressed concern over poor-quality customs intermediary services being provided.

HMRC have now opened the consultation, via a survey, to all businesses in the UK, so if you wish to express your views on the sector, you can leave your thoughts on the current state of the industry, and potentially shape the future of customs in the UK going forward. Once you have completed the survey, your responses will be sent to HMRC. Alternatively, should you have any in-depth feedback, you can email it to HMRC.

Part of the discussion is focused on the accreditation of customs brokers in the UK. Currently, there is little regulation of the sector, so HMRC wishes to introduce a voluntary accreditation scheme for customs brokers, with the aim of improving the quality of customs intermediaries.

This stage of the consultation is live until 30th August 2023, and once responses have been collated, HMRC hopes to spend the next twelve months working with customs brokers and freight forwarders to build the framework for the new accreditation.

ChamberCustoms launched its own accreditation package last year, ensuring that all customs agents in the network have sufficient knowledge of customs and display a high level of compliance. Business West currently have three accredited customs agents at the Chamber of Commerce, with expert knowledge on CDS (the Customs Declaration Service) as well as UK customs.  

ChamberCustoms wanted to set an example of strong compliance and great customer service to stand out in the market. Other customs agents will be following suit over the coming years to ensure that they too are compliant, but we are proud to be setting the example early.

Enquire about Business West’s accredited Customs Declaration service.

Read more about Business West’s accredited Customs Declaration service.

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