GB-EU Border Operating Model (GB from 1st Jan 2021)

I posted about the Border Operating Model before. New border controls for entry to GB from the EU will operate in three stages up until 1 July 2021.

Only the Border Operating model for the Great Britain (GB) border with the European Union (EU) is yet published.

A further major update is published to the GB-EU Border Operating Model (138 pages) – here (dated 8 Oct 2020) – further changes from now on are expected to be minor only.

The updated GB-EU Border Operating Model:

• Maps out the intended locations of inland border infrastructure. These sites will provide additional capacity to carry out checks on freight.

• Announces that passports will be required for entry into the UK from October 2021 as the Government phases out the use of EU, EEA and Swiss national identity cards as a valid travel document for entry to the UK.

• Confirms that a Kent Access Permit will be mandatory for HGVs using the short strait channel crossings in Kent. A ‘Check an HGV’ service will allow hauliers to check if they have the correct customs documentation and obtain a Kent Access Permit.

The full list of changes since the July publication is below –

• Details of the new infrastructure requirements including locations;

• Updates in a number of agrifood and environmental policy areas including fish,
chemicals, fluorinated greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances, high-
priority plants and plant products;

• Further detail on delayed customs declarations and the requirements of Entry in Declarants Records (EIDR);

• Further details regarding the approach to liabilities for intermediaries;

• Information on what ‘poor compliance history’ means;

• Clarity on guarantees and DDA requirements;

• Bulk import reduced data set details;

• Further clarity on level of checks applying to goods subject to sanitary and
phytosanitary controls in July 2021;

• The ”Check an HGV is Ready to Cross the Border” Service (formerly referred to as Smart Freight);

• Refreshed process maps to reflect where greater detail is now available;

• A number of new annexes including passengers policies, requirements for
aviation, rail and energy sectors; and

• Updated annexes regarding Member State requirements.