If you need to store goods imported from outside the European Union or need to wait for certain documentation, eg licences, before the goods are bought to free circulation or re-exported, you can suspend the payment of import duties and other charges by entering them into a customs warehouse.

Duty and import VAT are only payable when the goods leave the warehouse. You will need to be authorised by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to set up and operate a customs warehouse.

Customs warehouses can be for either:

public use - by authorised warehouse keepers whose main business is the storage of goods deposited by other traders (depositors)

private use - for the storage of goods deposited by an individual trader authorised as the warehouse keeper

Traders must apply to HMRC to set up their own customs warehouse.

Customs warehousing is also useful if you want to:

re-export non-Community goods - in which case import duty and/or VAT may not be payable at all

discharge the goods into an alternate customs procedure - eg Inward Processing Relief (IPR) - without physically exporting the goods 

If you run a business with little need for storage, then another customs procedure may be more appropriate, such as IPR.

 

 

( liyy )16 Dec,2010

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