Brexit and Covid – the perfect storm continuing to hit International relocation - Household goods moves via road

 

Today I will focus on the changes to documentation requirements as a result of Covid and Brexit to household goods being transported via road across Europe and UK.

Please note the documents referenced below are to give an insight into the administrative burden that has followed as a result of Brexit and Covid. The list is not a definitive list and should NOT be used as such. Expert advice should always be sought from the HHG’s provider.

In short, gone are the days whereby a realistic shipping schedule could be shared with the assignee. All transportation options, air, sea and road are affected, and the knock-on impact is the inability to plan accurately. Uncertainty surrounds the required length of temporary accommodation or hotel stay upon arrival, the start date of a lease, what HHG’s effects to hand carry, what to place in storage or what to send as excess baggage if the assignee and/or family are travelling by air to the host location etc. This causes additional stress at an already stressful and emotive time.

The core causes to the severe disruption to all shipping by road as a result of Brexit and Covid are·        changes to the import and export documentation required by hauliers for vehicles and drivers. The vehicle documentation required as a minimum but not limited to is:

·         the vehicle and trailer registration documents

·         certificates for any specialist approvals the might vehicle have

·         a goods vehicle operator license disc

·         licenses or permits needed for the journey

·         vehicle and trailer insurance documents

·         a country specific identification sticker

 The driver documentation required as a minimum but not limited to is:

·         a valid country specific driving license

·         an international driving permit (IDP) if you need one for the countries, you are travelling in

·         a valid Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) card

·         a valid passport

·         healthcare documents

Virtually all EU countries and UK require a negative Covid test certificate to be produced for the driver and any crew members. Duration of quarantine pre- and post-travel varies county by country.  

Post Brexit documentation includes the requirement for:

•  EORI number for the from and to country. For example, a UK HHG’s company transporting HHG’s to Italy would require a UK and EU number
• GVMS permit (Goods Vehicle Movement Service)
• ECMT permit (European Conference of Ministers of Transport). This must be applied for at least 5 days before the start of a journey with 1 permit required per vehicle at a cost of £18.00. this allows the vehicle to travel in Europe and return empty
• Port access permit

Collation of these documents adds a significant administrative burden and cost to the HHG’s partner. Some documents have a short validity. Others can be valid for a year, but the rules and regulations are constantly changing.  There is no one document fits all solution and certainly no one document fitting the requirements of all applicable countries. All documentation is required to be presented at time of shipment commencement with some required in advance, some during and some upon arrival.

In addition to the documental requirements, it must also be noted that major UK and European ports remain congested and current adverse weather impacts ferry sailing schedules. Road shipments between Europe and UK and vice versa are therefore caught in these delays.

Once again, the perfect storm continues….