20 January 2020
31st January 2020 – Is your business Brexit ready?
It is not long now to prepare for Brexit with the 31st January 2020 on the horizon.
Our guide has been written with support from The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Brexit impact on business: which industries will be affected?
For many businesses, there won’t be much to do. Staying on top of the headlines and checking for relevant updates will do the job, and you should use the government’s Brexit checklist just to be sure. But Brexit will create big changes for certain businesses, particularly if you:-
import/export goods or services to the EU
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travel to the EU (and/or work there)
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are from the EU but living/working in the UK
Brexit and business checklist: start here
Whatever your situation, start with the government’s Brexit checklist above. You’ll answer a set of questions, building up a personalised action plan to prepare you, your family and your business for Brexit. Your action plan might include some guidance that doesn’t look relevant to you and your business. We recommend you do check everything though, and use the links on your plan and the rest of this article to get more help, if you need it.What else?
Below the checker, you’ll see lots of clear, official guidance. So once you’ve created your specific plan, this is the page to bookmark and refer back to. From preparing your business and visiting the EU to citizen rights and arrangements, it’s all here. Brexit prep tip: stay up-to-date. The world of Brexit is changing minute-to-minute, so in these crucial weeks we recommend a regular check on the official Brexit guidance page and signing up for alerts so you're one step ahead.Deal or no-deal, you need to be ready
Your checker results will give you lots of guidance on where to go next and what action to take. But if you’re planning ahead, these are good places to start:Buying, selling and moving goods
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buying and selling services in the EU (as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)
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exporting to the EU or transporting goods out of the UK by road
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importing from the EU
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moving goods between Ireland and Northern Ireland
Travelling and living
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visiting the EU
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living and working in the EU
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staying in the UK if you’re an EU citizen or from Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
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travelling between Northern Ireland and Ireland
The main Brexit issues for UK businesses
gov.uk has highlighted lots of considerations for UK businesses ahead of Brexit. They won’t apply to everyone, but take a look through the sections below and click through if any look relevant to you. Brexit prep tip: it’s pretty specific, but we’d also recommend checking your intellectual property (IP) rights and parallel trade actions, if you own or trade in these. All the information is here on gov.uk.1. Selling services to the EU (and Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)
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trade regulations (each company has its own selling services guide)
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VAT on sales of digital services
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establishing and structuring your business (it may be best to get professional advice on this, and checking gov.uk for general guidance)
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professional qualifications – will yours still be recognised?
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data transfer and GDPR (start with gov.uk’s data/GDPR hub)
2. Exporting to the EU (and transporting by road)
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does your business have a GB Economic Operator Registration & Identification (EORI) number? You’ll need to check your importer has an EU one too, or if you’re exporting to your own business within the EU. Without these, you may not be able to trade
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who will deal with customs? Whether you’re hiring someone or doing it yourself, prepare now
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look into the Common Transit Convention (CTC) – it could simplify how you export your goods
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make your checks on the tax/duty your importer will need to pay, and any special licenses or actions for your goods type
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read up on how to claim a VAT refund
3. Importing from the EU
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you’ll need an EORI number to continue importing goods
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dealing with customs – you can hire someone or do it yourself
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registering for ‘transitional simplified procedures’, along with the CTC (see exporting above) might ease your paperwork
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make your checks on the tax/duty you’ll need to pay, and any special licenses or actions for your goods type
4. Trading and moving between Northern Ireland and Ireland
If your business activities involve Ireland or Northern Ireland, it’s worth working through gov.uk’s hub page and creating a specific plan of action.5. Visiting the EU
If you’re travelling for business, you’ll need to increase your usual preparations. This will include double-checking your passport and what it allows you to do, organising the proper healthcare insurance, and checking things like driving documents. All the official guidance is listed on gov.uk’s visiting Europe hub page.6. Living and working in the EU
Read the general information for UK nationals living or working more permanently in the EU, or head to gov.uk’s countries list for specific guidance.7. Staying in the UK if you’re from the EU
If you’re an EU citizen, your best plan is to start with gov.uk’s staying in the UK hub page. Most people will need to apply to stay in the UK. From Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland? You can also use the staying in the UK hub page.Driving after Brexit (in the UK and abroad)
From trailer arrangements to Kent road disruption and you will require a green card.Will you be driving in Kent?
You might have seen updates from the government on Operation Brock, and plans to keep traffic moving in and out of the UK around 31 October (the previous Brexit deadline). Operation Brock is currently inactive, but the situation is under review and could change at any time. For up-to-the-minute official guidance, keep an eye on Highways England's Operation Brock page. Your best bet is to plan for road disruption around 31 January. Brexit prep tip: the M20, Dover Port roads, Eurotunnel, A20 Dover TAP and M26 are likely to be affected, along with their feeder and slip roads.Do you drive a goods vehicle, or carry out haulage?
There’s lots of of guidance and essential Brexit preparation for professional goods drivers and haulage companies. Head to gov.uk’s guidance page to get started and the special page for haulage information.Do you use a trailer abroad?
Check your apparatus, prepare for delays and confirm what applies to you, particularly around your ‘green card’ responsibilities.EU/EEA phone calls and texts
The rules and practices around your business communications could be changing. To avoid any nasty surprises, or phone bills, check with your provider and read through gov.uk’s guidance.Brexit helpline and resources
Brexit is complex, and almost every business will have questions, from the most basic to highly niche and specific.Brexit helpline
This is the gov.uk official Business Brexit helpline and the first place to go. Call 0300 2000 900 Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm.Brexit checklist
Build and bookmark your own Brexit action plan, using gov.uk’s checklist.Quick-check services
There are a number of online tools you can use to check your action plan ahead of Brexit. From applying to the EU Settlement Scheme to driving and declaring cash amounts, speed-up your research.News and updates
One of the best things you can do is to keep on top of Brexit, and any gov.uk Brexit updates relating to your business (they’re listed in date order). Sign up for alerts by email (you can choose how many you get), too https://ascem9toru.nimpr.uk/cyber-data-insurance/ https://ascem9toru.nimpr.uk/our-charity-support/Article content provided by gov.co.uk/Simply Buiness/AXA
