Slow Start To Final Brexit Controls

It has been a slow start to the final round of border controls introduced this month, but concerns mount that the real test is yet to come.

Volumes in the first week of the New Year have been  down considerably as many exporters and importers avoided the first few days of the new processes, and many groupage services have not started running yet.

To date, we have experienced some disruption at the UK border when the new GVMS IT system crashed, but with limited volumes the potential for major disruption has not yet materialised.

The delays we have witnessed have been largely due to UK exporters being unsure how to complete the correct documents, especially GMR related issues.

However, we expect there to be much more pressure building by the end of this week and into next as trade picks up.

Controls on imports have not changed as much as exports, but the need to make declarations at the time of import, rather than deferring them by up to 6 months, is expected to bring an element of disorder.

As a reminder, if you have any questions about the new processes, then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Atlantic Pacific European team.