What is Customs Clearance and Declaration Services?

 Customs clearance and declaration is a procedure, which you must follow during imports and exports internationally. Therefore, understanding this process is crucial for your shipping business.

What is Customs Clearance?

 Before shipping different goods, every international ocean freight must satisfy the allotment of customs declaration in each nation.

 Customs clearance is a crucial procedure in permitting goods shipped to a country through a certified customs broker. This process includes the following data.

1. Information related to shipments with imports and exports.
2. Parties involved in the procedure.

For customs clearance, you need a customs declaration form, an official document that files and provides details of products that are being imported or exported. In official terminology, a customs declaration is when a person indicates the wish to place goods under a given customs procedure. Any courier that will cross international borders will need a correctly filled customs declaration form.

How to Correctly Fill Out Your Customs Declaration Form?

You must give complete and correct information for customs formalities. You can generally add this data to your commercial invoice, shipping label, or dedicated customs document, depending on the mail class and courier service you avail. Still, you must know that all countries have different international shipping laws. 

Here’s the required information to correctly fill your customs declaration form.

1. Name and address of sender and receiver in full.
2. Product description. (if there are more than one in the same package, describe each one separately)
3. Value and quantity of each product.
4. The package’s weight and dimensions.
5. Date of sending, invoice number, & terms of payment.
6. Procedure to use for non-deliverable packages.  

What is a Customs Broker?

 A customs broker is an officer for importers, which supports importers with the transaction of their customs business.

 \These agents are certified by tariff laws. A customs broker is either a private person or agency accredited by the US Customs and Border Protection. A customs broker assists in organizing custom entries, payment of duties, and how CBP might influence this procedure discharges goods from custody.   

 Customs Brokers Can Help You with These Services

 A customs broker can help with HTS codes based on product classification codes from 8 to 10 digits. The 1st six digits are HS codes, and import countries include proceeding digits provided for further classification. The US International Trade Commission governs all regulations.

 Concluding the country of origin can be difficult for customs. However, the country of origin is essential for marking. The government determines that goods were gathered or the most work was put into the product.

 Customs Clearance: Step by Step

 The customs clearance goes through the following procedure.

1. A customs agent verifies that the paperwork completed for shipments is legitimate.
2. The customs officer will then evaluate what fees may be applied to a load.
3. If there are pending taxes and duties, customs will ask you to pay them.
4. Once you pay the taxes and duties, your shipment will be released.

The Cost of Customs Clearance

Each customs broker will offer you varying services and thus charge different prices. These are a quote to cover various goods like:

1. Customs clearance charge.
2. Third-party document, handover, and miscellaneous fees for sea freight consolidated shipments.
3. Inspection fees.
4. Delivery costs.
5. Bank transfer or agency fees. 

Pros of Customs Brokerage

 Following are the advantages of customs brokerage.

1. A customs broker can take care of shipping for products. A customs brokerage agency will authenticate if you are complying with customs regulations. Not satisfying customs regulations will result in a time delay.
2. An organization can preserve more money. A customs broker will guide the company to avoid shipment issues. Following trade agreement opportunities, numerous trade agreements are devoted to reducing duties and taxes, as the ASEAN, JPEPA, and the EFTA free trade agreement.
3. A customs broker will notify you if they cannot deal with goods you wish to ship. If this happens, they can waive your shipment in the safest way possible.
4. It’s always excellent to keep an outside source checking your goals and reasons for merchandise. You will make a stronger bond with your customs broker, and they will provide you advice as per your business model.
5. Providing a customs broker with the legitimate paperwork. You are still responsible for filing and paying taxes and duties. However, a good customs broker can rectify errors and tell you if you are missing crucial information.  

Customs Declaration Services

 The customs declaration services assist the UK’s trade with the world. It has an essential part in Great Britain to Northern Ireland shipments. All businesses will need to declare cargo using the customs declaration services, which will replace HMRC’s Customs Handling of Import & Export Freight, aka CHEIF Service, from 23 March 2023. This replacement will take place in 2 phases.

1. From 30 September 2022, you can’t declare imports using CHIEF.
2. From 23 March 2023, you can’t declare exports also with CHIEF and NES.

 See, if you need the customs declaration service

 You require customs declaration services if you are shipping to Northern Ireland. However, there are limited exceptions when submitting an export declaration for moving couriers from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. In addition, you can still use CHIEF for exporting products sent directly from Northern Ireland to outside the EU and UK.

 How to get access to the customs declaration service?

 You can have someone complete declarations for you, using an intermediary or enabled software provider to submit your statement. However, remember that the process is complicated, and you require compatible software for it. Moreover, if you have the skills and software, you can do it yourself.

 Making a declaration

You require using the UK Trade Tariff to help complete your import or export declaration.   

 Making a Payment

 You require paying the HMRC to clear your shipment. You also need to select a payment type. If you are working with an intermediary or managing duty deferment accounts on behalf of others, you require registering with HMRC online to use the service.       

 Conclusion

 Customs clearance is an essential process before you can import or export goods globally. If a shipment is cleared, the shipper will provide evidence confirming custom duties, which are paid, and you can proceed with the shipment. To make customs clearance, you also need to fill a customs declaration form. The Customs clearance process becomes even more straightforward when hiring a customs broker to assist you with imports and exports.