All transit movements between the EU and GB on the North Sea now require a GMR reference from GVMS. This reference MUST be provided before you board your ferry.

DFDS

From1st June 2021, we’re pleased to announce the implementation of the new digital solution for Transit Movements from the EU. We shall be introducing a new process which utilises the UK system GVMS.

Ensuring that your cargo is declared on the cargo manifest correctly is paramount to ensuring that correct customs formalities are met – Should transit cargo not be declared on the shipping manifest, it could mean that physical presentation of the original documents to a UK Border Force premises is required before cargo can be released.

Transit Documents are processed differently depending on whether the ‘Office of Destination’ (Box 53) is the Port of Discharge, or Inland UK/Ireland. This information must be known at time of booking to make sure that the process flow in the UK can be followed to ensure your cargo is handled correctly.

All original Transit Documents must accompany the cargo, but please note that a copy of the T1’s being discharged at Immingham or Newcastle port must be sent before the unit is shipped from the EU – it is imperative that we get these copies to ensure smooth process and no delays.

P&O Ferries

We can now confirm that from Monday 26th July 2021, we are introducing mandatory changes to our Transit process on our North Sea routes, which will improve the current process by reducing the amount of paperwork.

If you currently ship goods as Driver Accompanied (Self-drive) with P&O Ferries under ‘Transit’ from Zeebrugge or Europoort, to Hull, Teesport or Tilbury, the new pre-lodgement process will apply. HMRC Live testing is continuing for UK Import Un-accompanied movements and we will contact you again when this change comes into effect.

The current P&O Ferries process is compliant with UK Government Brexit requirements. The new process will continue that compliance while introducing an enhanced more automated service that will allow you to use the UK Government (HMRC) Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) system for UK Import Transit Bookings on these routes. (The GVMS system will not be available for UK Export until January 2022).

This process will be aligned to the Transit process already in place on the English Channel routes and is being introduced by P&O Ferries when the UK Government is also planning to begin enforcing the use of the relevant declarations. HMRC has written to haulier associations and other groups in the sector to make them aware of these changes.

Freightlink can arrange GMR references for you to ensure a continued easy freight ferry booking experience. Speak to your account manager or our customer service team for more information.