The UK government will delay tariffs and customs declarations on standard goods for six months in 2021 after the end of the post-Brexit transition period.
ADVERTISEMENTThe UK government has begun preparing its tourists and businesses for when Brexit formally kicks in next year.
It left the EU in January but is currently in a transition period under which its relationship with the bloc remains largely intact.
The public information campaign "The UK’s new start: let’s get going" will encourage travellers to Europe to get travel insurance, a valid passport, paperwork for pets, and a phone plan when heading into the bloc.
The government also outlined new customs operating procedures starting next year.
It will allow a six-month delay for customs declarations and tariffs on standard goods but full customs declarations will be needed for controlled goods such as alcohol and tobacco products from January 2021, Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said in the House of Commons.
You can watch more from Gove in the video player, above.
There will then be a second phase starting April 2021 after which animal and plant products will need to have relevant health information.
During the final phase from July 2021, traders will have to make "full customs declarations at the point of implementation and pay tariffs", Gove explained. This could change depending on how negotiations play out with the European Union.
It comes after the UK government recently announced nearly €800 million in funding for the new border infrastructure needed for checks and controls from January after this post-Brexit transition ends.
"Regardless of the outcome of negotiations with the EU over our future relationship... we will be leaving the single market and the customs union," Gove said.
New immigration system introduced
The UK also announced a new immigration system based on points to attract "innovators and entrepreneurs" and "deal more effectively with organised crime and other threats", said Michael Gove.
The new immigration scheme, announced today by the home secretary Priti Patel, requires skilled workers to meet several criteria including having a job offer, the ability to speak English and meeting the salary threshold.
It also will allow international students who study in the United Kingdom to remain in the country for two years after undergraduate and masters programmes and for three years after doctoral programmes.