Yahoo Finance Heads up hauliers: Have you registered for the GVMS?
Promotional feature from HM Government
As the UK looks to build a new relationship with its European partners, the Government is continuing to support businesses to navigate changes since Brexit.
One new measure that changed on 1 January 2022 is that haulage firms must be registered for the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), to move any goods between the European Union (EU) and Great Britain. The GVMS system has been designed to enable fast and efficient movement of goods and will be used by many UK ports. However, if haulage firms are not registered for GVMS, and the driver does not have a valid Goods Movement Reference (GMR), they will be unable to board the ferry or shuttle and cross the GB-EU border.
If you do not already use it, you should register for GVMS as soon as possible - to avoid being stopped at the border from January 2022.
How to register
Before registering for GVMS you must have a:
● Government Gateway Account - if you do not have one already you can create one when registering for GVMS.
● GB Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number – including if you’re based in the EU.
It only takes about five minutes to create a Government Gateway Account, and if you already have a GB EORI, about five minutes to register for GVMS. If you need to apply for both a GB EORI and register for GVMS this is a quick six minute task.
Your GVMS access will usually be available within two hours and you should get your GB EORI within 48 hours. If HMRC needs to make further checks, this can take around five days.
Haulage firms can set up their GVMS account so that they can have multiple users access the service when needed.
Note: The new requirement to register for GVMS does not apply when moving goods directly from the EU into Northern Ireland, or if moving goods directly from Ireland to Great Britain.
Goods Movement Reference
After you’ve registered, you then need to get a goods movement reference (GMR).
From 1 January, border locations that use GVMS to control goods will need pre-lodged declaration references to be linked together within a single reference number, this is the GMR. The driver will need to present a valid GMR to the carrier for check-in, without this they will be turned away.
The driver moving the goods would usually create the GMR, but it can be done by the haulage firm or customs agent or freight forwarder. Only one GMR must be created per vehicle.
The GMR should be passed to the driver (if they haven’t created it), along with a telephone number for the haulier office or specialist, in case any help is needed.
Declaring goods
You can declare certain goods orally or by conduct at the border. “By conduct” means that when you arrive at a point of exit or entry for Great Britain, you can make a declaration by conduct by:
● driving (or being driven) past a customs control point with the goods inside your vehicle, if you’re importing or exporting goods in a vehicle
● continuing your onward journey, if there are no customs control points
If you are moving an empty trailer or any other commercial goods that can be declared orally or by conduct from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, you’ll need to get a Goods Movement Reference (GMR). You can do this by selecting the ‘Declaration by conduct’ option within the GVMS.
The information in this article was correct at the time of publication
Read more in our Post Brexit Trade section on Yahoo Finance
