Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Government support is available to assist with the completion of paperwork for amateur sports clubs that wish to transport equipment to compete at an event in an EU country.

The Government has produced extensive guidance to support individuals, traders, and others, including amateur sports clubs, to enable them to move their goods between the UK and the EU.

When exporting goods from the UK, travellers can declare non-commercial goods they carry in their personal baggage simply by moving through a ‘Green Channel’ at a port or airport, or by driving through a port. This is referred to as declaring goods ‘by conduct’.

On entering and leaving the EU, amateur sports clubs will have to ensure they comply with customs procedures in the EU. They may be able to take advantage of the EU’s Temporary Admission procedure to obtain relief from import duty, subject to relevant conditions being met. They may be allowed to declare their goods to this procedure ‘by conduct’, as described above. The management of EU import and export procedures is the responsibility of the customs authority of the relevant EU Member State, so it is important that they confirm the processes at their port of arrival, any conditions or procedures that may apply, and the time limit goods may remain in the EU without the payment of duty. More information can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs-4_en.

When they return to the UK, provided the equipment has not undergone any alteration while in the EU and it is accompanied by them on arrival, the equipment can be declared ‘by conduct’ by passing through the Green Channel at the airport or by driving through a port.

An alternative method of moving the goods is the use of an ATA Carnet. The ATA Carnet system is an internationally agreed method of moving certain goods between customs territories temporarily. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/taking-goods-out-uk-temporarily.