On 30th September 2024, the Brexit easement on parcels moving from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI) will end. From this date, shipments sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will be subject to new border procedures agreed under the Windsor Framework.

What you should know about the upcoming framework

All senders: 

A description of the goods, in plain English, must be provided for each item in the shipment. In addition, you’ll also need to provide each item’s weight, value and origin.

Business to Business (B2B) shipments: 

For B2B shipments, additional information will be required, and action is recommended now to prepare for the change. Please refer to the ‘green’ and ‘red’ lane guidance below.

‘Green’ lane shipments 
B2B shipments with goods that are being sent to Northern Ireland and are not at risk of moving into the EU can move under the ‘green’ lane as determined by the UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS). If this is the case for your goods, please review the guidance for this scheme and register with the UK Government for a UKIMS number here.

The sender or receiver’s UKIMS number must be provided to move goods under the ‘green’ lane. The holder of the UKIMS number will also need to be declared as the importer on record.

See HMRC guidance here (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-can-declare-goods-you-bring-into-northern-ireland-not-at-risk-of-moving-to-the-eu) on the conditions when goods can be considered ‘not at risk’.

Please note that if goods are declared green but then sold into Southern Ireland, the shipper could be at risk of having backdated charges.

‘Red’ lane shipments 
If your B2B goods do not qualify under UKIMS and are therefore considered ‘at risk’ of entering the EU, a full international dataset will be required for the declaration. ‘At risk’ shipments will also be charged at the applicable European Union (EU) rate of duty.

Prepare for the Windsor Framework by working through our helpful checklist:

❑ Review and understand the ‘Green and Red Lane’ guidance.

❑ Register with HMRC for an EORI number if you do not already have one.

❑ Apply for UKIMS authorisation if required.

❑ Ensure you have a way to identify and track whether each shipment you send from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is B2C or B2B.

❑ Have a plain English description for all of your products.

❑ Prepare to provide line-level data for Great Britain to Northern Ireland shipments.

❑ Know the rules for your products – are they prohibited / restricted / controlled?

❑ If you intend to send items to Northern Ireland, please share your UKIMS number with Atom Logistics at [email protected].

Please note that all information provided is only guidance. More information can be found on the GOV.UK website, here.  

All carrier and supplier networks will have their own processes and/or rules and regulations associated with the Windsor Framework. Should you have any questions or queries about your account and/or supplier specifically, please do not hesitate to reach out to the team to discuss further.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0800 849 8430