Brexit is why Rotterdam Customs Services was founded in the Netherlands. Within no time, the team grew to 20 people who serve importers, exporters, and transporters, mainly within the fruit and vegetable sector. They provide import and export declarations and transit documents, among other things. And this customs broker wants to expand even further.
Due to Brexit, the United Kingdom significantly tightened its customs requirements on January 1st, 2022. These are the most important changes:
- Entry to the UK must be done via the pre-lodgement or temporary storage model
- The six-month grace period for import declarations into the UK ended
- Pre-notification of veterinary and phytosanitary cargo in the UK is now mandatory
These changes mean that pre-entry and pre-notification of veterinary and phytosanitary freight is often required before boarding the ferry in the Dutch port of Rotterdam. "This kept us quite busy, but calm also returned quickly. Most of the problems were on the UK side," says general manager Robert van den Tol.
What has changed in the Netherlands is that, as of February 1st, the Dutch Quality Control Bureau (KCB) is doing quality checks on fresh produce export shipments to the UK. "For companies that aren't certified via the internal quality control (RIK) system, this concerns as much as 60% of the trade. By now, most exporters have been certified."
"And we're fortunately in the off-season because it would take considerable effort to inspect most of the trade. Thanks to a new company recognition system, a qualified phytosanitary employee can now inspect the shipment. That will significantly reduce inspections to only five percent," says Van den Tol.
"The biggest challenge will be on July 1st when Britain has scheduled the next round of rule tightening and mandatory phytosanitary certificates. That's in the middle of the high season, so it will surely cause considerable concern. A large logistics service provider and we have set up a project group to find a good solution. That's in consultation with the KCB."
These changes are providing Rotterdam Customs Services with plenty of work. "We're not only a customs broker; we're a point of contact for many companies - those who want to know what's required to be able to import and export," adds Robert. "Our personal service, thus, distinguishes us. We're taking further digitalization steps too. The export flows are already fully automated, and this is as-good-as ready for imports. That appeals to our customers, cost-wise."
That is a reason, too, for the company to broaden its services beyond Brexit and the UK. "We want to start internationalizing, like doing import declarations from China. But we'll also be clearing goods for several American clients. In short, we keep moving," Robert concludes.
Voor meer informatie:
Robert van den Tol
Rotterdam Customs Services
Jogchem van der Houtweg 13
2678 HA De Lier
+31 (0)174 351 501
[email protected]
www.rtmcustoms.nl
