An an international shipping company, Trans Global Logistics UK Limited can handle international shipments for several different reasons nationally and internationally.
Maybe we are importing Vehicles, our main core business, Yachts and Boats, Classics Vehicles or Heavy Machinery and material to be utilized in a national or international factory.
Or maybe we are importing products from our manufacturer. Or perhaps, we are shipping product from a warehouse in another country or anything in between!
Undoubtedly, as our company differs in its all-business development avenues we must deal with customs.
In this post, we walk you through a deeper understanding of the Customs Clearance process to help you understand customs and understand also what your designated Customs Clearance Agents UK is helping you through within the Customs Clearance Agents UK Department.
Customs Clearance refers to passing goods through customs so that they can enter or leave a country. Each country has its own customs department that you need to comply with.
Typically, customs requires you to fulfil the documentation requirements as well as pay the correct duties so that goods can be received… Easy to say ..But how does the Customs Clearance process work?
Every country has their own customs requirements, but the process is similar around the world.
The UK Customs Clearances process followed by our Customs Clearance Agents UK reviews all the paperwork you have included with your shipment.
This always includes the commercial invoice, which is required for any international shipment, and it may include other documents too, such as health certifications.
The Custom Clearance Agent UK will then see what, if any, taxes and duties should be applied. Type of product, amount of product, and country laws will all affect the taxation and duties.
The Custom Clearance Agent UK will ask for payment of the taxes and duties. If they have not yet been paid for in advance by the shipper, then this is when the receiver would need to pay for them. You can negotiate with your suppliers about using Incoterms (discussed further below).
The Custom Clearance Agents UK then releases the shipment once everything is paid and the correct documents have been collected.
To make the Customs Clearance process as smooth as possible, our Custom Clearance Agents UK recommend that you follow these 5 important tips.
First of all: Make sure your commercial invoice is complete, and the goods description is accurate to provide this to our Custom Clearance Agents UK who will need to use to submit all the information for you to include a complete and accurate Shipment or Airfreight Bill of lading.
A Bill of Lading is a required document that is issued by the Carrier. It acknowledges their receipt and possession of the shipment. It should include the destination address and receiver’s contact information. Think of it like a receipt. You will get it from the Carrier / and -or your shipping agent, and you should keep a copy for yourself and add the original to your shipment.
Also, as a second tip please do choose your international commercial terms (Incoterms) wisely as there are different types of import deliveries essentially outline whose responsibility it is to get goods through customs, if unsure please do asks to our Shipping department who will advise you wisely.
Incoterms define the point in the shipping process when the responsibilities for a shipment (such as risk, costs and insurance) shift from sender to receiver. Before goods are shipped, the sender and receiver agree on the Incoterms, which specify who pays for what shipping costs.
DAP stands for “delivery at place” while DDP stands for “delivered duty paid.”
But what do these terms mean, and how do they affect the customs clearance process?
DAP – Seller is responsible for delivery of the goods to the buyer’s destination but is not responsible for import formalities and costs.
DDP – Seller must deliver goods at their own expense and risk, handle all formalities, and pay for the import duties as well as any other costs.
Sellers often prefer to do DAP of course, but you should choose DAP or DDP with your suppliers based on which company has the most expertise with passing customs into that country. For each supplier, you can speak with them to learn who is the most experienced and make your decision that way.
As third and most important advice from our Custom Clearance Agents UK is to research other required documents for certain product types and individual countries
Depending on what product is being shipped to what country, there can be other documents required besides the invoice and waybill.
For example, when shipping perishable goods, you’ll likely need to include a health certificate. Animal products also usually require the inclusion of a health certificate. Here you can find the animal product health certificates required by Great Britain
Visit the government website of the country you’re exporting from and importing to.
ALSO very important advice from our Custom Clearance Agents UK is not to put your documents inside of the shipment
The commercial invoice and waybill are supposed to be attached securely to the shipment, not placed inside. Placing the documents inside of the shipment can cause majorly delays and get your products stuck in customs for quite some time, as customs workers are not going to immediately open the shipment and search for the paperwork, out of safety concerns.
Lastly from our Custom Clearance Agents UK please keep detailed records and copies
Create a digital folder in a secure cloud storage solution such as Box or Dropbox that is specifically for your customs documents. Scan and upload any paper documents so that you can more easily keep track of things. Make sure that you’re also organizing your digital file folders. Create one folder per year, then within that you can create folders for the date of each shipment.

Trans Global Logistics UK Limited , international Shipping & Logistics company with 30 years of experience, will be able to offers several services for your Vehicle Transport / Customs Clearance/ Import and UK Vehicle Registration to confidently support your Vehicle Customs Clearance in the UK.
Contact us at Trans Global Logistics UK Limited – customs@tglog.co.uk – phone 07833 410 281 www.tglog.co.uk