Get someone to deal with customs for you
How you can hire a person or business to deal with customs for you.
Getting help
You can hire a person or business to deal with customs for you, such as:
· freight forwarders
· customs agents or brokers
· fast parcel operators
What they can do for you (and who will be liable) depends on:
· the services they provide
· what you want them to do
· the commercial agreement you have with them
They’ll need to be established in the EU.
You can use the list of customs agents and fast parcel operators to help find someone to deal with customs for you.
Freight forwarders
Freight forwarders move goods around the world for importers.
A freight forwarder will arrange clearing your goods through customs. They’ll have the right software to communicate with HMRC’s systems.
Customs agent or broker
Customs agents and brokers make sure your goods clear through customs.
You can hire a customs agent or broker to act as a:
· direct representative
· indirect representative
Fast parcel operators
Fast parcel operators transport documents, parcels and freight across the world in a specific time frame. They can deal with customs for you, as part of their delivery.
They cannot act on your behalf without written instructions from you. The instruction must show whether they’re acting for you directly or indirectly. HMRC will only ask for evidence of the authorisation if we need it.