Moving China goods from port to a UK Freeport
China goods need an agreed customs route from the arrival port to the Freeport customs site. HMRC release, temporary-storage discharge or transit completion must be coordinated with the destination declaration and receipt notification. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to coordinate the shipment paperwork with your broker.
Agree the route before the goods sail
Before declaring goods to the Freeport customs special procedure, the business needs authorisation. Ask your broker to confirm whether the goods are controlled and identify the destination customs site. Agree who handles port release, the movement, the destination declaration and notification to the site operator.
Our UK customs clearance guide covers ordinary import clearance. This guide covers the handover into a Freeport customs site. Send the broker the customs clearance documents and ask for a written route plan tied to the shipment reference.
Direct release from the arrival port
HMRC must confirm release to the customs site before goods can leave port control. Goods discharged from temporary storage move directly to the site under the Freeport special procedure. For non-controlled goods, HMRC provides a Customs Clearance Request route, with full declarations also available.
Ask the broker which declaration they will use and what release evidence the collecting haulier should receive. Keep the destination address and consignment reference consistent across the booking, declaration instructions and delivery paperwork.
Temporary storage next to the customs site
Goods may move from the port’s temporary storage facility to an external temporary storage facility next to a Freeport customs site. They must be discharged from temporary storage before declaration by conduct to the Freeport procedure. For non-controlled goods, HMRC allows a Customs Clearance Request for that discharge.
Declaration by conduct then involves receiving the goods at the business premises within the customs site, notifying the site operator and entering them in commercial records. Ask the receiving business to name the person responsible for each action. For the separate storage movement, see moving uncleared imports between facilities.
Transit to the destination site
Transit can bring goods into the customs site if the authorised consignee’s authorisation includes it as an approved location. The site operator needs evidence of the transit movement. On arrival, the authorised consignee requests permission to end transit and unload.
For non-controlled goods entering the Freeport procedure through this route, declaration by conduct requires receipt at the business premises, notification to the operator and an entry in commercial records. Ask for confirmation of transit completion separately from the delivery receipt.
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Controlled goods and the receipt handover
For controlled goods arriving under transit, HMRC requires a full declaration using the Freeport procedure code. Simplified procedures are available only where authorised and permitted. Have the broker confirm the applicable route before instructing collection.
Use a shared handover record showing the shipment reference, declaration or movement reference, release evidence, delivered quantities, discrepancies, receiving contact and operator notification. Ask the receiving business to confirm its commercial-record entry. A haulier’s delivery message alone should not be your internal sign-off for the whole customs handover.
Frequently asked questions
Can goods leave the port just because a Freeport delivery is booked?
No. HMRC must confirm that goods can be released to the customs site before they leave port control. Ask your broker for the release evidence before collection.
Does delivery next to a Freeport count as entry?
Goods in nearby temporary storage must first be discharged from temporary storage. Declaration by conduct also involves receipt within the customs site, operator notification and commercial records.
Can any Freeport warehouse receive goods under transit?
For HMRC’s authorised-consignee route, the consignee’s authorisation must include the customs site as an approved location. Check this with the destination before booking.
Who tells the Freeport operator that goods have arrived?
Under declaration by conduct, the receiving business must notify the site operator and enter the goods in its commercial records. Agree the responsible contact before dispatch.