Green lane movements
The agreement establishes a new UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) for the movement of goods. This new scheme will significantly expand the range of businesses who can benefit, end the requirement for traders to provide customs commodity codes for each movement, scrap burdensome Supplementary Declarations, and ensure that businesses can therefore move their goods using the same type of commercial information as they already hold.
Duty Reimbursement Scheme
As a result of the Windsor Framework, the government is able to introduce a scheme to reimburse the payment of EU customs duties paid on goods moved into Northern Ireland (NI) that were not sold or used in the EU.
Customs Duty Waiver
If you move goods ‘at risk’ into NI, you may already be able to claim a waiver for customs duty that might otherwise be charged. This applies under the existing Customs Duty Waiver Scheme.
Northern Ireland Plant Health Label
Under the agreement, plants moving from Great Britain (GB) to NI will no longer be subject to the same prohibitions or certification requirements as third country goods face when moving into the EU.
The Northern Ireland Plant Health Label (NIPHL) scheme makes sure checks for pests and diseases are carried out and goods can be traced. This means growers and traders can move these goods with a NIPHL and without a phytosanitary certificate.
Pets
Under the Windsor Framework agreement, pet owners travelling with dogs, cats, and ferrets from GB to NI can now do so without needing extra health treatments or documentation from a vet. Completion of a lifelong pet travel document is required, and owners will sign a declaration stating that they will not move their pets into the EU. There will be no routine additional checks by the NI authorities; any checks carried out will be risk-based, focused on real-world welfare, disease or puppy smuggling risks.
For pets travelling from NI to GB and back, no documentation, declarations, checks or health treatments will be required and a customs declaration on TSS is not required for pet travel between GB and NI.
Do I need to do anything?
To take full advantage of the various schemes that have been developed as part of the Windsor Framework, you may be required to take some proactive steps. As the information becomes available, it is therefore essential that you review the associated eligibility criteria to identify whether a scheme is suitable for your specific trade scenario.
To gain access to benefits of the customs ‘green lane’ when it opens in September 2024, you will need to be UK Internal Market Scheme authorised. The registration is now open. You can find out more about the requirements for the scheme on the ‘Apply to the UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS)’ page on NICTA.
For more information on any of these subjects, visit the Windsor Framework section on NICTA.