Managing customs visits and audits NEW

Exporters and importers are responsible for their own transactions and many fail to meet the legal and financial demands imposed by HMRC as they believe it to be the responsibility of the Freight Forwarder. This course is designed to provide those involved with sound, practical guidance to establish professional relationships with Customs and Excise to minimise repercussions that may occur from failing to meet the required standards.

Key Objectives

After attending this course delegates will understand:

• The legal requirements involved when dealing with HMRC
• Appreciaing the importance of keeping and maintaining accurate and complete records
• Preparing for a HMRC audit
• The implications and consequences of non-compliance
• The roles and functions of HMRC

Course Outline

• Introduction – Aims and Objectives
• Introductory questionnaire – are you compliant?
• HMRC – their roles and functions
• The vital source of information
• Why do HMRC make visits?
• Preparing for visits by Customs’ officers
• Who should be involved
• Maintaining good relationships with HMRC
• What records do I need to keep?
• How long do you need to keep records for HMRC?
• The documents - what do you have to keep and why
• What can go wrong during a visit
• What are the likely punishments?
• How can you stop things from going wrong?
• What are your rights?
• The appeals process
• Future customs' developments

Key Benefits

• Confidence in understanding responsibilities for HMRC
• Compliance with legal requirements associated with documents
• Knowledge of what to expect during a customs visit
• Ability to fully prepare for a customs visit
• Understand the role and function of HMRC