It may seem like there are lots of details that are required by the customs officers when you are exporting goods, but in actual fact these guidelines can aid you in getting your goods exported or imported as quickly as possible.

When exporting or importing goods you need to be sure of how you are going to be represented and what is required of you before transporting the goods. So below is all the information regarding freight customs;

• Representation – You first need to decide how you are going to be represented you can either; represent yourself – this means you can make all declarations in your own name and on your own behalf. Direct representation – this would mean a third person would make the declaration in your name on your behalf. Then there is in-direct representation – this would mean an authorised person would make the declaration in their name but on your behalf, with this method you would both be responsible for any customs charges that were incurred against your cargo.
• Details of goods – Even if you have chosen to be represented by a third party they will still require some details from you regarding the cargo to ensure it is transported as soon as possible. The details that need to be given to the freight agent are set out by HM Customs and include;
• Name and address of the person the goods are consigned to.
• The full details of where the goods should be transported to for example; their final destination, the address of the person receiving the goods etc.
• They will need an accurate value of the goods that are being transported; making sure it is in the correct currency also.
• A clear description of the items including any marks, numbers and what the quantity is exactly.
• There are also other checks that freight agencies may need to check such as if the country you want to transport the goods to is actually a third country and not part of the EU. This is because if the country is part of the EU the transportation of goods will not be classed as export and there are many exporters that don’t know which countries class as part of the EU; this is why they turn to agents to confirm that for them.

When you have decided on your type of representation you will either be able to get advice on specific queries from your freight agent, or there are agents that specialise in giving those that want to represent themselves advice on customs issues.