The United Kingdom Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) has replaced the UK Trader Scheme and is open for registration.

The UKIMS is a framework established post-Brexit to facilitate the movement of goods within the UK, especially between Great Britain and Northern Ireland (NI).

The scheme allows businesses to declare their goods under the designation of “not at risk” if they are brought into NI for sale or final use by end consumers in NI and will not be charged duty if entering NI from free circulation in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales).

In essence, “not at risk” goods are those that are not at risk of moving into the EU after entering NI.

The UKIMS will be implemented in two phases:

• Since the 30th of September 2023, a much broader range of traders are able to declare goods as “not at risk” of leaving NI, expanding the number of businesses eligible to financial benefits.

• Starting 30th of September 2024, these arrangements will be widened to also relieve goods from full international customs requirements and unnecessary paperwork. All goods will move through the “green or red” lanes:

• Goods moving under the UKIMS will benefit from a simplified entry process, the “green lane”.
  • Goods not moving under an UKIMS authorization will use the “red lane” and continue to apply the information and other requirements applied for movements into the EU.

What does it mean for traders?

• Replace your UKTS to an UKIMS authorization

Businesses that currently have a UKTS authorisation need to register with the new scheme if they wish to continue to declare their goods movements “not at risk”. To apply for the UKIMS, you must be established in the UK and meet all the compliance requirements, records, systems, controls, and evidence requirements. You can find out more about the requirements for the scheme on the UKIMS application process website.

• Make sure to use the correct EORI

The UKIMS authorization is linked to a company’s EORI number, traders will need to make sure they are providing the correct information under the “Importer” field on the declaration, so it matches the EORI registered with the UKIMS. If this does not match, Customs Declaration Service (CDS) will not accept the declaration submission.

• Shipping parcels B2B

Starting September 2024, shipments sent via courier from business to business will also move through the “green and red” lanes process. This means that, to be able to send “not at risk” goods as parcels, clients will need to be UKIMS authorized.

Marken stays committed to supporting clients in navigating the regulatory and trade landscape of the global clinical supply chain. Please contact our team at TradeCompliance@marken.com if you have any questions.