Since 1 January 2021, Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — that is, excluding the Republic of Ireland) has been a third country for customs purposes. With Brexit, the United Kingdom left the EU customs union and the single market. For German exporters this means in practice: what used to be a duty-free intra-EU supply is now a full export — with an electronic export declaration on the EU side, an export accompanying document (ABD) for transport, and an import declaration on the UK side. With Smart Zollagentur you create the German export declaration yourself online and our customs experts review it, so your shipment reaches the UK without delay.
How we support your export to the United Kingdom
You create the export declaration yourself online, our customs experts review it — fast, digital, and checked by specialists:
- Export declaration via ATLAS — the legally required electronic notification to German customs. Above a goods value of €1,000 or a weight of 1,000 kg it is mandatory for Great Britain. Read more about the procedure on our export declaration & ABD page.
- Export Accompanying Document (ABD) via our tool — with our online tool you lodge the export declaration together with us quickly and easily.
- EORI number check — we verify whether your EU/DE EORI is valid for the export.
How customs clearance to the United Kingdom works
- Enter your data — you provide the consignor, consignee, goods description, values, commodity code (HS code), and Incoterms in our online tool. This typically takes just a few minutes.
- Expert review — our customs specialists check your information for completeness and accuracy.
- ABD by email — after the declaration has been submitted to ATLAS, you receive the confirmation within an hour and the ABD after the customs examination period. Transport to Great Britain can then begin.
What our service covers — and what it does not
With us you create the German export declaration online; our customs experts review it and submit it through ATLAS. You receive the ABD and the exit confirmation. The import declaration on the UK side is not part of our service. It is usually handled by the transport provider, or by a customs broker instructed by the carrier or your consignee.
Two points to clarify before you ship:
- Taking the goods to Great Britain yourself? Then there is no transport provider to declare the import. Arrange the UK import declaration before you set off, so the consignment is not held at the port.
- The goods must be available until release. Until customs releases the goods for export, they have to be accessible for a possible control at the stated place in Germany. Only schedule the pick-up once the ABD is there. Background in presentation and customs inspection.
Preferential origin EU–UK: using 0% duty correctly
Brexit did not automatically make every shipment subject to customs duty. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom (EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement) provides a preferential duty rate of 0% for originating goods. The condition is that your goods meet the rules of origin set out in the agreement and that preferential origin is proven correctly — usually through a statement on origin (self-certification) on the invoice or a commercial document.
Important: preferential origin only reduces the UK import customs duty. UK import VAT still applies and is levied on import. Whether your goods qualify as originating products, which rule of origin applies and what the proof looks like in practice is something we explain in detail in our article Exporting to the UK: Brexit consequences. Which EORI number you need for which case is covered under applying for an EORI number.
Pricing
An export declaration for Great Britain costs €30 per declaration (€25 for high-volume customers from 15 declarations a month). The base price includes one tariff line; each additional tariff line is charged at €5. All prices are net, excluding statutory VAT. For an overview of the total cost of exporting to the UK, see exporting to the UK: cost; the full price list for our services is on the pricing page.
To start your first UK declaration, log in to the customer portal. There you can create orders, track the processing status, and download your documents.