We handle customs declarations in house rather than passing them to a third party. That matters because most delays and surprise charges start at the border, and a broker who isn’t sitting alongside your freight forwarder is slower to fix them.
What we do
- Import and export declarations
- Tariff classification — getting the HS code right
- Duty and import VAT calculated before arrival, not after
- Customs transit documentation
- Temporary import and re-export procedures
- Advice on which incoterms leave you exposed to charges you weren’t expecting
Classification is where the money is
The HS code determines the duty rate. Get it wrong and you either overpay for years without noticing, or underpay and face a back-assessment with interest when it’s picked up.
We classify the goods ourselves rather than copying whatever the supplier wrote on the commercial invoice — and we’ll tell you if what they’ve declared looks wrong before it becomes your problem.
Who pays the duty depends on your incoterms. On DDP the seller covers duty and import VAT; on DAP the buyer does; on EXW the buyer takes on everything from the seller’s door. Most of the disputes we see come from a seller quoting “delivered” and a buyer receiving a duty bill they weren’t expecting. If you’re unsure which term to trade on, ask us before you sign the contract, not after the goods have moved.
What we need
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- What the goods are, in enough detail to classify them
- Country of origin
- Agreed incoterms
- Any licences, certificates or permits the goods require
Clearing something difficult?
Send us the commercial invoice and tell us what the goods are. We’ll tell you how they classify and what the duty position looks like.
