Information for businesses and employers preparing for Brexit.
NI Business Info provide a range of guidance and support to help you prepare for Brexit. NI Business Info is a free service offered by Invest Northern Ireland, and is the official online channel for business advice and guidance in Northern Ireland, publishing the latest news on preparing for Brexit and other business topics.
Guidance to help prepare your business for trading after 1 January 2021.
Some of the commonly asked questions about EU Exit in answered in one place.
You can sign up to the Government's free-to-use Trader Support Service to support businesses and traders of all sizes to navigate the changes to the way goods move once the Northern Ireland Protocol comes into effect on 1 January 2021.
The Trader Support Service:
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will help if you move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or bring goods into Northern Ireland from outside the UK
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is free to use and will guide you through any changes to the way goods move between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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can complete declarations on your behalf.
The Government has published new guidance for goods that currently use the CE marking.
These include the rules on placing goods on the NI market, placing qualifying goods on the GB market (unfettered access additions) and using the UKNI marking.
Invest Northern Ireland can provide Brexit help, advice and support for your business. Invest NI work with businesses of all sizes and are committed to helping your business grow by finding the right combination of support across all the key areas of your operations.
Invest NI also offers a Brexit Preparation Grant
InterTradeIreland’s have a dedicated Brexit Advisory Service which continues to monitor the key areas of change as it helps businesses get used to the new rules and trading requirements.
DAERA offers information and guidance on preparing for the end of the transition period. The Department also has a series of online EU Exit events.
Manufacturing NI provides specific information on how Brexit will impact the manufacturing industry.
The FSB Transition Hub is designed to support small businesses and the self-employed understand and prepare for what comes after the end of the UK/EU transition period.
Logistics UK has a Brexit Resource Hub which provides support and advice specifically for the transport sector.
Guides on specific product safety and metrology regulations for businesses placing goods on the market in Northern Ireland from 1 January 2021.
How food and drink producers, manufacturers, retailers and suppliers must change labels from 1 January 2021.
Guidance on the health and identification marks that must be applied to products of animal origin (POAO), such as meat, egg products, fish, cheese and milk, after the end of the EU Transition Period at 11pm GMT on 31 December 2020.
In January 2019, the UK Government announced a settlement scheme for EU citizens and their families. The scheme is designed to allow most EU citizens, who started living in the UK before 31 December 2020, to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021.
The deadline for applying for the settlement scheme is 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
There are community organisations providing EU Settlement Scheme support, including:
Advice NI - EU Settlement Scheme
Stronger Together NI – EU Settlement Scheme
A Frontier Worker permit lets someone come to the UK to work while living elsewhere. You may be eligible if all of the following apply:
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you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
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you live outside of the UK
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you have worked in the UK by 31 December 2020
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you have kept working in the UK at least once every 12 months since you started working here.
Customs Grants Scheme
HMRC has made record funding of £50 million available to enhance its Customs Grant Scheme. From 29 July 2020, organisations can apply for funding to reimburse a number of costs associated with increasing their capacity and enhancing their ability to complete customs declarations, ahead of the new rules from January 2021.
Eligible organisations can apply for funding for recruitment, employee training and IT, in preparation for additional customs declarations. Eligible organisations include traders and customs intermediaries (such as customs brokers, fast parcel operators and freight forwarders) who make or intend to make customs declarations for their own goods or on behalf of others. Organisations which recruit, train and place apprentices into customs intermediaries or other organisations which undertake customs declarations activity are also eligible to apply.
All eligible organisations which are currently and have been based in, or with a branch in, the UK for at least a year can apply for all elements of the grant.
Customs Training and IT Grants Scheme
The Government has announced a £16m Grant Scheme for Customs Intermediaries ahead of Brexit. Designed to help businesses build capacity and improve efficiency in completing customs declarations, the £16 million programme will award grants to help meet the upfront costs of employee training and IT improvements.
Guidance providing practical information for placing construction products on the Northern Ireland market and unfettered access provisions from the end of the transition period.
SME Brexit Support Fund
The SME Brexit Support Fund has been established to help small and medium businesses with changes to trading regulations with the EU, including new customs, rules of origin, and VAT arrangements. The Fund will help businesses prepare for the implementation of import controls which come into force from April and July 2021.
For help and advice
Please contact our business team at business@midulstercouncil.org or call 03000 132 132.