Tholen – How it will look exactly is still unknown, but that the British are leaving the EU or not and that this will have consequences for the trade, everyone agrees. At Van Donge & De Roo they prepare for today and 29 March, the day on which the British officially end their EU membership or not. The extra customs formalities generate extra work for them.
"You may not say it, but for us the Brexit is positive," says Dennis de Roo. Due to the British departure an extra action must be taken for the customs documents. "We would normally clear up a product that comes in the Netherlands, after which it can be shipped to the UK as an EU product," he explains. After the Brexit there is an extra action. If the products are cleared in the Netherlands, the goods must also be cleared through transit to the UK. "In short, customs clearance in the European Union will then be avoided and a temporary transit document will be made instead of having to pay twice the import duties."
In addition to the customs clearance, the time at which products are inspected will also shift. Products that are phytosanitary inspected in the Netherlands can, as long as the British still belong to the EU, be passed to the United Kingdom without additional inspection. Whether the British still accept a Dutch inspection in April is a question that remains unanswered. "We now inspect the products at the port of entry, but the Brexit requires a different way of working. We may have to inspect less in the Netherlands and more in the United Kingdom. "However, our customs department is prepared. "We have arranged our facilities in such a way that we can switch, whatever the outcome of the negotiations. We will unburden our customers, "Dennis assures.
With a tight three months until the Brexit, companies take precautionary measures. Dennis sees, among other things, that there is more demand for storage capacity. "Where companies previously carried through a lot, they now opt for interim storage to prevent them from having to clear the products twice." This increases the demand for storage space, preferably without customs clearance, to determine after the Brexit how the products should be distributed in Europe. Van Donge & De Roo also offers this service for reefer (cool/freeze) containers. "We can collect containers at the terminal and connect them to our depot in a customs warehouse. For products that have a longer shelf life, this can be a temporary solution without having to pay the import duties. "
Companies that could do this with a warehouse for Europe will probably need two warehouses after the Brexit, one in the United Kingdom and one on the European continent.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate us at www.vandongederoo.com – Miles ahead in shipping
Author: Rudolf Mulderij
