BREXIT 21 – Rule applicable by the French Customs on 1 January 

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The rules concerning formalities from 1st January are now published by the French customs authorities. You will find here the complete information note transmitted by the DGDDI of which below are some extracts:

In accordance with Article 47 of the Withdrawal Agreement, goods moving from the UK to the EU or from the EU to the UK whose movement has started before the end of the transitional period, before 31 December 2020 midnight, will retain their Union customs status. This means that no declaration formality will be required for these goods when entering or exiting the customs territory of the EU, even if the physical crossing of the border takes place after 1 January 2021 at midnight.

However, Article 47 of the Withdrawal Agreement also provides that the Union status of these goods will not be presumed but will have to be proven.

 CMR as an accepted means of proof

Consequently, for the crossing of the border between France and the United Kingdom from 1 January 2021 on the sites where the smart border will be deployed, at the time of pairing, the drivers of trucksmust present their CMR so that the departuredate can be verified. When this date is before December 31, 2020 midnight, the goods will be exempt from customs declaration for import and export. On the other hand, for all trucks whose CMR will be dated 2021, a customs formality must be able to bepresented.

Interruption of remote customs services on the night of 31st December 

The end of the transition phase and the UK’s exit from the internal market also means that all e-Customs services must be updated. This interruption will start at 22:30 on 31 December 2020 and the resumption of e-services will be effective at 7:00 on 1 January 2021. During this interval, it will not be possible to file customs formalities.