WEBINAR: Doing Business In The UK - Dealing with the Border
Review on Demand practical Exporting & Importing Tips To Overcome The Border
On 3 November 2021, exportTT in cooperation with Customs Manager Ltd held a webinar on Doing Business in the UK. We were invited to share our top tips on exporting and importing and how to overcome the border, enabling companies to reach their future UK customers faster, cut paperwork and bureaucracy, become or stay compliant and, ultimately, grow faster. Chambers of Commerce from the UK, Belgium, the Caribbean and the TT Ministry of Trade took part in this event alongside Customs Manager Ltd.
The agenda ran as follows:
Review the presentation by Customs Manager Ltd on Demand at any time:

What was the presentation all about?
Finding the right export markets can be crucial for a business to diversify its revenue source. But starting to find overseas customers and export opportunities, is not always straightforward. Quite a lot of research is needed into the country for an understanding of:
economic and industry information
local legal requirements
how to protect your intellectual property
language and cultural issues.
Barriers
There are also barriers to trading and investing abroad. Our webinar contribution, called "Exporting and Importing with the UK - Practical steps every exporter needs to consider to trade effectively, efficiently and, of course, compliantly" allows you to find out if there’s anything that might slow down or stop your company from exporting goods, in the UK. It is important that businesses get a good overview and awareness of any risks, as well, and proactively manage this.
Border
The customs border is one of those barriers to entry that must be overcome. It is not managed right, it can delay a business reaching their overseas customer, get buried in bureaucracy and paperwork, be exposed to accidental non-compliance and slow global company growth altogether. What's more, duties and taxes may need to be paid and customs procedures carefully followed.
Trade between the UK and the CARIFORUM States
The UK has signed an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the CARIFORUM trade bloc, which is in effect. It is a replica to the EU agreement.
The CARIFORUM States covered by this EPA are:
Antigua and Barbuda
Barbados
Belize
The Commonwealth of the Bahamas
The Commonwealth of Dominica
The Dominican Republic
Grenada
The Republic of Guyana
Jamaica
Saint Christopher and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
The Republic of Suriname
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
With the agreement, the UK commits to providing immediate duty-free, quota-free access to goods exported from the CARIFORUM States. In exchange, the CARIFORUM States commit to gradual tariff liberalisation of goods. Some domestically sensitive products in the CARIFORUM States are excluded from tariff liberalisation.
This EPA includes provisions on:
trade in goods - including provisions on preferential tariffs and rules of origin
trade in services
intellectual-property
government procurement
In certain areas, there have been some minor changes that may affect the way you trade.
Tariff rates on goods
As mentioned during the webinar, Tariff rates for bilateral trade in goods between the UK and the CARIFORUM States continue to apply as set out in the agreement.
Rules of origin
As Arne mentioned in his speech, Unless you are permitted to provide an origin declaration, you need to fill in a certificate of origin to claim preferential treatment. The UK continues to use the EUR1 format for movement certificates with trade partners that have mutual FTAs with the EU, including the CARIFORUM States. These movement certificates are identical to those previously in use, but the place of origin on the certificate is now marked as the United Kingdom instead of the European Community. EUR1 certificates of origin that have been updated to show the UK are now available from your usual provider, such as the chambers of commerce. If you previously used the EUR1 form with a mutual EU trading partner, you can use the new EUR1 form that shows the UK as the place of origin.
Find out more about the EPA - FTA
UK CARIFORUM FTA: How to trade with Caribbean countries for zero duty
(S,P) Trade between the Caribbean countries and the UK is facilitated by an EPA. What is that and how do firms benefit?
Learn more and upskill in LIVE training:
Learn about Rules of Origin
Information Hub: https://www.customsmanager.org/rules-of-origin
Latest Updates: https://www.customsmanager.org/customs-global-trade-blog/categories/rules-of-origin
Learn about Exporting
Information Hub: https://www.customsmanager.org/how-to-export-sucessfully
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Watch the Video presentation on Demand
Review on-demand the practical tips that Arne Mielken, Managing Director of Customs Manager Ltd provides to businesses outside the UK to help them export products out of your country and import them swiftly into the UK. Available soon
Download the slides of the presentation delivered
About exporTT
exporTT is the National Export Facilitation Organization of Trinidad and Tobago, charged with generating export growth and diversification in the non-energy goods and services sectors. Catering to the needs of all Exporters, exporTT focuses on building internationally competitive firms, improving the business environment, and harnessing the differentiating factors that set Trinidad and Tobago exporters apart in the global market place. It is a trade policy implementing agency of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). They provide a comprehensive range of services to exporters focused on increasing non-energy exports, increasing the number of Exporters and delivering value for money.
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