Duty management
Import Duty and Excise Management
Duty mistakes rarely show at the border. They surface months later, as an HMRC query or a duty demand. We help UK importers, wholesalers and bonded warehouses, including wine, spirits and vaping businesses, pay the duty they owe, and no more, and keep the records to prove it.
Customs duty management
- Duty reliefs: advice on and applications for inward processing, outward processing and end-use relief.
- Free trade agreements: making sure your goods qualify for preferential rates, with the origin evidence to back it up.
- Rules of origin: checking and documenting the origin of your products against the agreement that applies.
- Temporary admission: handling goods imported for a set purpose and re-exported, so you don't pay duty you don't owe.
- Customs warehousing: support for businesses holding goods under customs duty suspension, from approval to declarations and record checks.
- Duty audits: reviewing past declarations to find and correct errors before HMRC does.
Excise duty management for wine and spirits
Alcohol and other excise goods carry a second layer of duty, with its own rules. We help importers, wholesalers and bonded warehouses keep excise duty accurate and compliant.
- Clearance into bond or duty-paid: import declarations that release your goods correctly, whether they go into an excise warehouse or straight to your premises. Clearance is handled through The Customs Desk, our dedicated clearance service.
- EMCS movement data: the full data set your warehouse needs to raise the electronic administrative document, ready when the goods arrive at the port.
- Excise warehouse support: help with warehousekeeper and premises approvals, owner registrations and co-storage requests.
- Duty and stock checks: reconciling warehouse stock records against EMCS, reviewing duty returns and flagging discrepancies early.
Vaping Products Duty support
Since 1 October 2026, vaping products carry excise duty and need a duty stamp on every retail pack. Importers, manufacturers and warehouses now need HMRC approval to trade. We help legitimate vaping businesses get compliant and stay compliant.
- Approvals: applications for Vaping Products Duty approval, and amendments to existing warehouse approvals to store vaping products or apply stamps.
- Import clearance: customs declarations for vaping products, into duty suspension or duty-paid, for approved businesses. Clearance is handled through The Customs Desk.
- Duty stamp readiness: making sure stamp orders match your import plans, and goods are stamped before release.
- Duty and records checks: reviewing duty returns, stock and movement records, and flagging discrepancies early.
- HMRC visits and audits: preparation, support on the day, and corrective action afterwards.
- Training: short sessions for importer and warehouse teams on the new rules.
We work only with businesses holding, or applying for, the HMRC approvals the rules require, and carry out due diligence on every new client.
How we work
- A specialist who knows your goods: you deal directly with an experienced consultant, not a call centre.
- Transparent by default: clear written agreements and fees, and a copy of every declaration made in your name.
- Records ready for HMRC: we keep your documents indexed and available through our trade document storage service.
- Published standards: our procedures follow the practices set out in PAS 41201, the UK standard for customs intermediaries.
Official guidance
- Trade Tariff: look up commodity codes, duty and VAT rates (GOV.UK)
- How to use your duty deferment account (GOV.UK)
- Paying VAT and duties on imports (GOV.UK)
This page gives general information, not legal advice.
Talk to a duty specialist
Tell us what you import and how it moves, and we'll tell you where your duty risks are. The first call is free.