Tell HMRC that you're going to be attending an inland border facility
Attending an inland border facility
How to prepare when moving goods and attending an inland border facility, and the process when you arrive.
Last updated: 20 September 2023
This guidance will help you to understand how to prepare to visit an inland border facility (IBF) and the process to follow when you arrive.
Before you go to an inland border facility
- Check what services are offered at each of the IBFs, not all facilities carry out the same functions.
- Check how busy an IBF is before leaving for your journey.
- Book in to attend an IBF. Booking in will mean HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) should be able to deal with you more quickly.
Traders using an Authorised Consignor or Consignee (ACC) do not need to attend an inland border facility. ACCs can start and end transit movement of goods at their own premises.
You only need to attend an inland border facility if you’re travelling through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel or Holyhead and you’re moving goods:
- under the Common Transit Convention (CTC) and are not using the services of an ACC to start or end your Transit movements
- into the country under the CTC and have been instructed to report to a site for those goods to be checked
When you may need to attend an inland border facility
You must follow instructions about whether you need to get your goods checked by customs on arrival or if you’re able to continue your journey.
You should use your goods movement reference number in the ‘check if you need to report for an inspection’ service to understand if your goods are held. If you’re arriving into the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel, you’ll need to attend an inland border facility to have these checks carried out.
In some cases you may also be stopped by Border Force officers within the port to have checks performed on your vehicle or load. If this happens, you must still attend an inland border facility to complete customs functions if you have received instructions to do so.
The goods must be taken to an inland border facility directly and must arrive in the same condition as the goods were at the time of importation.
You may be liable to a penalty of up to £2,500 if you fail to follow HMRC instructions.
When you do not need to come to an inland border facility
You do not need to come to an inland border facility if you:
- have a vehicle that is empty
- are travelling in and out of the United Kingdom by other ports
- are using the services of an ACC
- are using other (non-CTC) import or export procedures to move your goods in or out of the UK
Get ‘border ready’
Get ready before you reach Kent
You must be ‘border ready’ before you reach Kent ports or you’ll be turned back and could be fined.
If you’re crossing the Channel through the Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover, you must check a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) is ready to cross the border
For outbound movements leaving the UK through the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel
If you need to use an inland border facility and are coming to Kent from elsewhere, you should get ready before arriving in Kent. Do not wait until you’ve reached the port in Kent or you will be turned back.
To get ready you should attend the IBF at Sevington.
Holyhead
Get ready before you travel to Holyhead. If your journey allows, you can also make use of the services at Warrington or Birmingham inland border facilities before you arrive at Holyhead.
Check for more information on getting ready for Welsh ports.
Documents you’ll need to bring
You’ll need all relevant paperwork in relation to your movement.
Common Transit Convention movements
To start a CTC movement out of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), you’ll need to:
- get from your agent or freight forwarder for every consignment:
- the Local Reference Number (LRN)
- either all the export declaration references and include this in a goods movement reference, or a Master Unique Consignment Reference (if there is one) in writing
- show the LRN and either all the export declaration references in a goods movement reference, or a Master Unique Consignment Reference in writing, at the Office of Departure to get a Transit Accompanying Document (TAD)
To end a movement at an Office of Destination, you’ll need to present the TAD and provide the Movement Reference Number (MRN) for every consignment.
If you’re a:
- trader using an Office of Destination at an IBF you should make sure that import entries are submitted and have arrived by the time the goods reach the Office of Destination
- driver attending an Office of Destination you should have details of the customs entries for the consignments you’re carrying (for example, entry numbers and dates)
Goods without arrived import entries will need temporary storage.
If you’re a driver attending an IBF with goods that need temporary storage you may have to use an alternative facility at your own expense.
IBFs cannot be used for commercial storage.
ATA Carnet movements
For both inbound and outbound movements, you’ll need to present the ATA Carnet documents for each consignment.
CITES movements
For both inbound and outbound movements, you’ll need to present a CITES permit for each consignment.
Locations of inland border facilities
You can find a list of inland border facility locations.
Stop 24 and Dover Western Docks
Vehicles that are excluded from Sevington for being oversized or for containing hazardous goods can be processed at these sites.
In the event of a problem with HMRC inland border facilities, you may be directed to Dover Western Docks or Stop24.
This is in addition to existing commercial operations already provided at these sites.
Tell HMRC that you’re going to be attending an inland border facility
You should tell HMRC in advance that you’re attending an IBF if the goods you’re moving:
- are going to an office of departure or office of destination (starting or ending a transit movement)
- are covered by an ATA Carnet
- need a CITES permit
Regardless of why you attend the site, if your goods have been flagged as ‘held’ for a compliance check, you must let front office staff know about this upon your arrival.
You can also check if there are any delays at an IBF.
What to expect when visiting an inland border facility
There will be local signage in place to help direct you to the site along the strategic main roads.
Upon arrival at the site, you’ll be greeted by a traffic management marshal.
There will be automatic number plate recognition cameras at the entry and exit points of the site. This monitors vehicles entering and exiting the site to manage traffic and security.
A quick visual inspection of the vehicle will be done by security marshals at the entry checkpoint. For example, they’ll check that there are no leaks and that the vehicle is not prohibited as a result of these checks.
Following this, you’ll be directed to a vacant parking bay. Once you’ve parked your vehicle, you’ll be asked to switch your engine off by the traffic marshal and to keep it off whilst you’re parked. There should be no idling of engines.
If your goods have been flagged as ‘held’ for a compliance check, you must tell front office staff this when you arrive.
You’ll then take your documents to the front office and be directed to wait in your vehicle while the paperwork is processed. Once this is complete, you’ll receive either an approval and exit receipt to move off-site, or a non-approval where you will follow a separate process.
You’ll then be able to exit the site and rejoin the strategic main road.
Duration of the checks
HMRC estimates that you will need between one to two hours at the facility to go through customs clearance. Make sure you leave sufficient time when planning your journey.
The sites are staffed and operated 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Once you’ve completed the paperwork process, you can return to your vehicle and you should leave immediately.
Facilities available on sites
All sites will provide water, toilets, and handwashing facilities. Additional facilities are offered on a site-by-site basis as outlined in each site-specific section. Cookers and fires are not permitted on-site.
If your vehicle is excluded
It’s possible that vehicles may arrive at the site that are classed as ‘excluded’ from the requirement to park on the site. This is based on things like load content, vehicle size and the presence of hazardous goods. If there are any issues, your vehicle will be moved to the marshal inspection bays for further examination by a senior security marshal.
Vehicles are excluded if they contain:
- livestock and other live loads (exemptions to this apply on sites that process CITES movements)
- any vehicle transporting abnormal loads, which are:
- a weight of more than 44,000kg
- an axle load of more than 10,000kg for a single non-driving axle and 11,500kg for a single driving axle
- a width of more than 2.9m
- a rigid length of more than 18.65m
- the following hazardous goods:
- class 1 substances and articles (explosives) and class 4.1 substances (polymerizing substances)
- category I or II nuclear material
- high consequence dangerous goods
- class 6.1 substances (insecticides)
- vehicles subject to Special Types General Order (STGO) 2003
Holyhead restrictions on tankers
Holyhead cannot receive tankers containing over 3,000 litres of hazardous or contaminant liquid.
The Holyhead facility has no penstock valve to help drain away spillages.
Liquid contaminants include organic matter which is highly polluting to watercourses, such as:
- milk
- food
- crops
- dirty water
- silage effluent and slurry
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Source URL
/content/attending-inland-border-facility
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Tell HMRC that you're going to be attending an inland border facility
You can use this service to tell HMRC in advance that you're attending an inland border facility when moving goods.
You can use this service to tell HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in advance that you’re attending an inland border facility (IBF) because the goods you’re moving:
- are going to an office of departure or office of destination (starting or ending a transit movement)
- are covered by an ATA Carnet
- need a CITES permit
This will help you get processed on-site as quickly as possible.
If there is another reason why you need to attend an IBF, you should tell the onsite marshals the reason when you arrive.
Before you start
You’ll need to know your:
- arrival date and time
- reason for attending
- Local Reference Number (for outbound transit movements)
- Movement Reference Number (for inbound transit movements)
- the reference number you’ll discharge your movements against
If you're a haulier or freight forwarder, you’ll also need to know the driver’s:
- mobile phone number
- vehicle registration (front number plate) of the heavy goods vehicle (HGV)
To end the movements of goods in transit you’ll need either:
- an EORI number
- a CHIEF entry number
- a Customs Declaration Service (CDS) movement reference
How to tell HMRC
Before you can tell HMRC you’re attending an IBF, you’ll need to create an account. You can create an account the first time you use the service.
Start now
Alternatively, you can download the free HMRC app from the:
- App Store for iOS
- Google Play Store for Android
If you do not have a signal
If you cannot tell HMRC that you’re going to attend an IBF before you arrive, you must report to the front office.
More information about inland border facilities
You can also find out about:
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/tell-hmrc-youre-going-be-attending-inland-border-facility
Links
Check if there are any delays at an inland border facility
Service for transport professionals to check for delays and closures at the inland border facility you're attending.
Last updated 3 April 2023
If you’re a driver, freight forwarder or haulier, you can check how busy a site is to help you plan your journey.
The facility will show as:
- amber if it’s at 60 per cent full ‘delays possible’
- red if it’s at 80 per cent full ‘delays expected’
Alternatively, you can download the free Attend Inland Border Facility app from the:
- App Store for iOS
- Google Play Store for Android
It is illegal to use this app when driving. You must only use it before starting your journey or when parked up at an inland border facility.
How you can get notifications
All messages from the service will be shared using:
- push notifications through the smartphone app
- the user submission summary on the web service
- text messages or email to the driver’s mobile phone
To help plan your journey make sure you check:
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/check-if-there-are-any-delays-inland-border-facility
Links
Check if there are any delays at an inland border facility
Attending an inland border facility
How to prepare when moving goods and attending an inland border facility, and the process when you arrive.
Last updated: 20 September 2023
This guidance will help you to understand how to prepare to visit an inland border facility (IBF) and the process to follow when you arrive.
Before you go to an inland border facility
- Check what services are offered at each of the IBFs, not all facilities carry out the same functions.
- Check how busy an IBF is before leaving for your journey.
- Book in to attend an IBF. Booking in will mean HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) should be able to deal with you more quickly.
Traders using an Authorised Consignor or Consignee (ACC) do not need to attend an inland border facility. ACCs can start and end transit movement of goods at their own premises.
You only need to attend an inland border facility if you’re travelling through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel or Holyhead and you’re moving goods:
- under the Common Transit Convention (CTC) and are not using the services of an ACC to start or end your Transit movements
- into the country under the CTC and have been instructed to report to a site for those goods to be checked
When you may need to attend an inland border facility
You must follow instructions about whether you need to get your goods checked by customs on arrival or if you’re able to continue your journey.
You should use your goods movement reference number in the ‘check if you need to report for an inspection’ service to understand if your goods are held. If you’re arriving into the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel, you’ll need to attend an inland border facility to have these checks carried out.
In some cases you may also be stopped by Border Force officers within the port to have checks performed on your vehicle or load. If this happens, you must still attend an inland border facility to complete customs functions if you have received instructions to do so.
The goods must be taken to an inland border facility directly and must arrive in the same condition as the goods were at the time of importation.
You may be liable to a penalty of up to £2,500 if you fail to follow HMRC instructions.
When you do not need to come to an inland border facility
You do not need to come to an inland border facility if you:
- have a vehicle that is empty
- are travelling in and out of the United Kingdom by other ports
- are using the services of an ACC
- are using other (non-CTC) import or export procedures to move your goods in or out of the UK
Get ‘border ready’
Get ready before you reach Kent
You must be ‘border ready’ before you reach Kent ports or you’ll be turned back and could be fined.
If you’re crossing the Channel through the Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover, you must check a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) is ready to cross the border
For outbound movements leaving the UK through the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel
If you need to use an inland border facility and are coming to Kent from elsewhere, you should get ready before arriving in Kent. Do not wait until you’ve reached the port in Kent or you will be turned back.
To get ready you should attend the IBF at Sevington.
Holyhead
Get ready before you travel to Holyhead. If your journey allows, you can also make use of the services at Warrington or Birmingham inland border facilities before you arrive at Holyhead.
Check for more information on getting ready for Welsh ports.
Documents you’ll need to bring
You’ll need all relevant paperwork in relation to your movement.
Common Transit Convention movements
To start a CTC movement out of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), you’ll need to:
- get from your agent or freight forwarder for every consignment:
- the Local Reference Number (LRN)
- either all the export declaration references and include this in a goods movement reference, or a Master Unique Consignment Reference (if there is one) in writing
- show the LRN and either all the export declaration references in a goods movement reference, or a Master Unique Consignment Reference in writing, at the Office of Departure to get a Transit Accompanying Document (TAD)
To end a movement at an Office of Destination, you’ll need to present the TAD and provide the Movement Reference Number (MRN) for every consignment.
If you’re a:
- trader using an Office of Destination at an IBF you should make sure that import entries are submitted and have arrived by the time the goods reach the Office of Destination
- driver attending an Office of Destination you should have details of the customs entries for the consignments you’re carrying (for example, entry numbers and dates)
Goods without arrived import entries will need temporary storage.
If you’re a driver attending an IBF with goods that need temporary storage you may have to use an alternative facility at your own expense.
IBFs cannot be used for commercial storage.
ATA Carnet movements
For both inbound and outbound movements, you’ll need to present the ATA Carnet documents for each consignment.
CITES movements
For both inbound and outbound movements, you’ll need to present a CITES permit for each consignment.
Locations of inland border facilities
You can find a list of inland border facility locations.
Stop 24 and Dover Western Docks
Vehicles that are excluded from Sevington for being oversized or for containing hazardous goods can be processed at these sites.
In the event of a problem with HMRC inland border facilities, you may be directed to Dover Western Docks or Stop24.
This is in addition to existing commercial operations already provided at these sites.
Tell HMRC that you’re going to be attending an inland border facility
You should tell HMRC in advance that you’re attending an IBF if the goods you’re moving:
- are going to an office of departure or office of destination (starting or ending a transit movement)
- are covered by an ATA Carnet
- need a CITES permit
Regardless of why you attend the site, if your goods have been flagged as ‘held’ for a compliance check, you must let front office staff know about this upon your arrival.
You can also check if there are any delays at an IBF.
What to expect when visiting an inland border facility
There will be local signage in place to help direct you to the site along the strategic main roads.
Upon arrival at the site, you’ll be greeted by a traffic management marshal.
There will be automatic number plate recognition cameras at the entry and exit points of the site. This monitors vehicles entering and exiting the site to manage traffic and security.
A quick visual inspection of the vehicle will be done by security marshals at the entry checkpoint. For example, they’ll check that there are no leaks and that the vehicle is not prohibited as a result of these checks.
Following this, you’ll be directed to a vacant parking bay. Once you’ve parked your vehicle, you’ll be asked to switch your engine off by the traffic marshal and to keep it off whilst you’re parked. There should be no idling of engines.
If your goods have been flagged as ‘held’ for a compliance check, you must tell front office staff this when you arrive.
You’ll then take your documents to the front office and be directed to wait in your vehicle while the paperwork is processed. Once this is complete, you’ll receive either an approval and exit receipt to move off-site, or a non-approval where you will follow a separate process.
You’ll then be able to exit the site and rejoin the strategic main road.
Duration of the checks
HMRC estimates that you will need between one to two hours at the facility to go through customs clearance. Make sure you leave sufficient time when planning your journey.
The sites are staffed and operated 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Once you’ve completed the paperwork process, you can return to your vehicle and you should leave immediately.
Facilities available on sites
All sites will provide water, toilets, and handwashing facilities. Additional facilities are offered on a site-by-site basis as outlined in each site-specific section. Cookers and fires are not permitted on-site.
If your vehicle is excluded
It’s possible that vehicles may arrive at the site that are classed as ‘excluded’ from the requirement to park on the site. This is based on things like load content, vehicle size and the presence of hazardous goods. If there are any issues, your vehicle will be moved to the marshal inspection bays for further examination by a senior security marshal.
Vehicles are excluded if they contain:
- livestock and other live loads (exemptions to this apply on sites that process CITES movements)
- any vehicle transporting abnormal loads, which are:
- a weight of more than 44,000kg
- an axle load of more than 10,000kg for a single non-driving axle and 11,500kg for a single driving axle
- a width of more than 2.9m
- a rigid length of more than 18.65m
- the following hazardous goods:
- class 1 substances and articles (explosives) and class 4.1 substances (polymerizing substances)
- category I or II nuclear material
- high consequence dangerous goods
- class 6.1 substances (insecticides)
- vehicles subject to Special Types General Order (STGO) 2003
Holyhead restrictions on tankers
Holyhead cannot receive tankers containing over 3,000 litres of hazardous or contaminant liquid.
The Holyhead facility has no penstock valve to help drain away spillages.
Liquid contaminants include organic matter which is highly polluting to watercourses, such as:
- milk
- food
- crops
- dirty water
- silage effluent and slurry
Content category
Source URL
/content/attending-inland-border-facility
Links
Tell HMRC that you're going to be attending an inland border facility
You can use this service to tell HMRC in advance that you're attending an inland border facility when moving goods.
You can use this service to tell HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in advance that you’re attending an inland border facility (IBF) because the goods you’re moving:
- are going to an office of departure or office of destination (starting or ending a transit movement)
- are covered by an ATA Carnet
- need a CITES permit
This will help you get processed on-site as quickly as possible.
If there is another reason why you need to attend an IBF, you should tell the onsite marshals the reason when you arrive.
Before you start
You’ll need to know your:
- arrival date and time
- reason for attending
- Local Reference Number (for outbound transit movements)
- Movement Reference Number (for inbound transit movements)
- the reference number you’ll discharge your movements against
If you're a haulier or freight forwarder, you’ll also need to know the driver’s:
- mobile phone number
- vehicle registration (front number plate) of the heavy goods vehicle (HGV)
To end the movements of goods in transit you’ll need either:
- an EORI number
- a CHIEF entry number
- a Customs Declaration Service (CDS) movement reference
How to tell HMRC
Before you can tell HMRC you’re attending an IBF, you’ll need to create an account. You can create an account the first time you use the service.
Start now
Alternatively, you can download the free HMRC app from the:
- App Store for iOS
- Google Play Store for Android
If you do not have a signal
If you cannot tell HMRC that you’re going to attend an IBF before you arrive, you must report to the front office.
More information about inland border facilities
You can also find out about:
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/tell-hmrc-youre-going-be-attending-inland-border-facility
Links
Check if there are any delays at an inland border facility
Service for transport professionals to check for delays and closures at the inland border facility you're attending.
Last updated 3 April 2023
If you’re a driver, freight forwarder or haulier, you can check how busy a site is to help you plan your journey.
The facility will show as:
- amber if it’s at 60 per cent full ‘delays possible’
- red if it’s at 80 per cent full ‘delays expected’
Alternatively, you can download the free Attend Inland Border Facility app from the:
- App Store for iOS
- Google Play Store for Android
It is illegal to use this app when driving. You must only use it before starting your journey or when parked up at an inland border facility.
How you can get notifications
All messages from the service will be shared using:
- push notifications through the smartphone app
- the user submission summary on the web service
- text messages or email to the driver’s mobile phone
To help plan your journey make sure you check:
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/check-if-there-are-any-delays-inland-border-facility
Links
Commercial Bus Service Permits
Bus public transport in Northern Ireland
A Commercial Bus Service Permit system has replaced the old bus route licensing element of the Road Service licence.
Translink provides most public transport services in Northern Ireland through its subsidiary companies - Metro in Belfast and Ulsterbus across the country. In addition there are many other public transport services operated by private bus operators. These are mainly regular stopping, formerly known as 'stage carriage', or express services.
Operators running public transport services needed a Road Service Licence from the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) and separate approval from the DVA to operate such bus routes.
The new Commercial Bus Service Permit system, administered by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), replaced the old bus route licensing element of the Road Service Licence - this is now called a "Bus Operator Licence".
The new Service Permit system is designed to enable those operators to continue providing existing services. It also gives any licensed operator the opportunity to apply for a new service where the operator identifies a gap in the market, and where DfI is satisfied that the service won't have a significant adverse impact on other existing services.
As part of the Service Permit application process, an operator may request to begin or end the service at a Translink bus station, and/or request to use existing bus stops along the proposed route.
For more information on setting up a bus company, see bus operator licensing.
For more information on running a public passenger transport service, see commercial bus service permits.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
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How to get a bus operator licence
You need a Bus Operator’s Licence to carry passengers in a vehicle carrying nine or more passengers for hire or reward.
You need a Bus Operator Licence (BOL) to carry passengers if you use a vehicle that is constructed and equipped for carrying nine or more passengers (not counting the driver) for hire or reward. Hire or reward means any payment in cash or kind to enable the passenger to use your service.
If a vehicle is constructed and equipped for carrying up to eight persons (not counting the driver) it is classed as a taxi, not a bus - see setting up and running a taxi service.
You may be prosecuted if you carry passengers for reward without a bus operator licence.
How do I apply for a Bus Operator Licence?
You can apply online for a BOL. You should apply for it at least eight weeks before you wish to start operating, to allow time for the application to be processed. Once the application has been agreed in principle you will be asked to pay a fee of £78 per vehicle for the grant of the licence.
Your application will be assessed on a set of criteria including:
- you and all relevant partners or directors are of good repute - see Access NI criminal records checks.
- you have at least the minimum required financial resources
- you or the person employed to be responsible for transport operations, are professionally able - the transport manager must have continuous and effective responsibility for managing the vehicle operations
- any other Bus Operator Licence applications
- you must have an effective and stable business in Northern Ireland
Find out more about how applications for a bus operator licence are assessed.
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Source URL
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Commercial Bus Service Permits
Detailing the types of bus services that need a Service Permit from the Department for Infrastructure.
You need a Commercial Bus Service Permit from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to operate a public passenger transport service in Northern Ireland. These are additional to the network of services provided by Translink.
The types of service which need a Service Permit are:
- Regular Stopping Services
- Express Services
- Sightseeing Services
- Demand Responsive services
- Event-specific Services
- Taxibus Services
You can download a Commercial Bus Service Permit application form.
The types of services that do not require a Service Permit are:
- Tours
- Private Hire Services
- Shuttle-bus Services
DfI will consider Service Permit applications according to:
- the suitability of the route
- any other ongoing or previous applications
- how the needs of people likely to use the service are currently catered for
- the effect that granting a Service Permit would have on other Permit holders or the contracted network
- the need to ensure fair competition
Find detailed guidelines on the Commercial Bus Service Permit application process.
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Source URL
/content/commercial-bus-service-permits
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