Safety and Security – Border Force Compliance Approach

By BLCC News & EventsRelevant News

From 31 January 2025, pre-arrival information will be required for all consignments entering Great Britain, including Remain on Board goods. This requirement, which already applies to Rest of World traffic, will now also extend to European Union traffic.

The legal obligation to submit a declaration lies with the carrier – the operator of the active means of transport on, or in, which the goods are brought into the customs territory.

Why this matters

Safety & Security declarations are a key part of the Border Force’s frontier risk assessment process. They allow intelligence resources to be directed at high-risk traffic while ensuring the smooth flow of legitimate goods.

The Home Office and HMRC have a joint compliance strategy for Safety and Security Data, and Border Force has developed tools to monitor compliance effectively.

Compliance measures

Border Force assesses carrier compliance against the following criteria:

  1. Connectivity – Connection to the Safety & Security GB (SSGB) system.

  2. Comprehensiveness – Declarations submitted for all consignments.

  3. Timeliness – Submissions within mandated timeframes.

  4. Completeness – All required fields fully completed.

  5. Accuracy –

    • Data must meet the required standard, avoiding null values or generic terms.

    • Declarations must match the actual goods being imported.

What to expect from February 2025

From February, Border Force will extend its existing compliance approach for Rest of World traffic to cover EU traffic. Recognising that this is a new requirement for many EU carriers, the approach will focus on support as well as enforcement:

  1. Identification – Detecting non-compliance.

  2. Alert – Notifying carriers of issues.

  3. Education – Guiding on obligations and compliance standards.

  4. Repercussion – Applying penalties for continued or deliberate non-compliance, which may include:

    • A warning letter.

    • A Customs Civil Penalty Notice.

    • Sharing compliance information with HMRC teams managing schemes such as AEO.

For further details or support, please refer to the latest guidance from Border Force.