UK and EU Transition Hub

Buckinghamshire Business First has a comprehensive transition support hub which includes a range of detailed resources to support you. Things you could do to help your business:

• Complete a survey to understand what actions need to be taken for your organisation
• Find out about the latest advice on import and export rules
• Review information and tools surrounding immigration and employment changes, including sponsorship guidelines
• Update yourself on government advice including funding, labelling, safety requirements, haulage and more.

Please take action now to avoid the risk of your business operations being interrupted. It is worth checking with suppliers and customers that they are also implementing any necessary changes.

Customs grant scheme

HMRC has changed its customs grant scheme to allow more people to access the funding and help ensure they are ready to trade with the EU after the transition period ends.

You can apply for grants to help your business with customs declarations. You can apply to get funding for:

• recruitment, training and IT to help your business to complete customs declarations
• co-funded training project to help your business complete customs declarations
• trader training to understand customs

HMRC is now allowing traders who are new to customs to apply for grants of up to £1,000 per organisation to support the cost of basic customs training. This will help traders understand what is involved in making customs declarations and can help them prepare for when they speak to an intermediary.

Another change HMRC has introduced to the customs grant scheme is that businesses with Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status who have had a base in the UK for less than 12 months can also now access the grant scheme.

Grants will be issued on a first come, first served basis and applications will close on 30th June 2021, or earlier if all the funding is allocated.

For more information on the scheme and how to apply, please read the guidance on GOV.UK.

Customs intermediaries – including customs brokers, freight forwarders and express parcel operators – as well as traders who complete their own declarations, are among those who may benefit from a new co-funded training project under General Block Exemption Regulations (GBER). Through the co-funded training project grant, organisations can receive up to 2 million euros where they co-invest as well. More details can be found here >

Webinars to help you with the transition to new rules on January 1st 2021

• 20th January 2021: It is essential that UK businesses understand their obligations and the cost implications of the new way of trading with the EU, as existing contracts and delivery terms may need to be renegotiated to prevent either party exposing itself to too much risk. Learn more at a free webinar. Book here >
• 3rd February 2021: Learn how exporters can minimise the risk of not getting paid when trading with overseas markets. Andrea Collins of The Export Department will talk about the various ways exporters can be paid by their customers, exploring in detail the various options, i.e. open account, bank collection, letter of credit, advance payment. Book here >

For the full list of transition support webinars on offer, go to our dedicated UK-EU Transition portal, where you can book onto upcoming webinars and watch recordings of ones you may have missed.

Intellectual Property (IP) rules are changing on 1st January 2021

These changes will affect:

• Trademarks and Designs
• Parallel trade from the UK to the EEA
• Unregistered Designs

Learn more about these changes here, as well as further support including intellectual property reviews and available funding.

Government advice is to:

• Consider carefully where to disclose your designs, to ensure they have adequate protection in their most important market
• If you export IP-protected goods on the secondary or parallel market, contact the rights holder in the EEA to see if you have permission to continue to parallel export.
• Consider if you want exports to continue, if you are a business that owns the IP rights for goods currently parallel exported from the UK to the EEA.

It advises that if you do not take action, there is a risk your business operations will be interrupted. You can find out what other actions you may need to take by using the checker tool here and signing up for business updates.

Important information regarding re-registered international designs

From 1st January 2021, the UK Intellectual Property Office will create a re-registered UK design for every international design (EU) that is protected at the end of the transition period.

Where an international design designating the EU has been applied for, but is not yet protected or where the publication has been deferred, the holder will have a period of nine months to apply for the same right as a UK design. Find out more here.

Get in touch for support

If we can help or support your business in preparing for the upcoming changes, please contact one of our Business Support Advisors on 01494 927130 or email BusinessSupport@bbf.uk.com. Alternatively, visit our transition support hub.