It may still be summer but Britons with loved ones living in the EU are advised to start Christmas shopping and get presents in the post.
People intending to send gifts to friends or family in the EU should ensure they post their parcels by the end of October to avoid any headaches that trying to ship out presents following a no-deal Brexit could cause, according to a delivery service.
Should the UK leave the EU without trade agreements in place, the country would automatically rely on World Trade Organisation rules.
In these circumstances Britons would have to jump through additional bureaucratic hoops wishing to send packages to the EU, while the recipients could have to hand over money before getting them, the company ParcelHero has said.
Paperwork and VAT payments
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“If we do quit the EU without any kind of deal, that would likely mean we will be sending packages [there] under WTO rules,” said David Jinks, a spokesman for the firm.
“That means everyone sending a parcel to the EU must complete a Customs Invoice providing Proof of Origin, including a description of all the items being sent and their value.
“It also means that the receiver may well have to pay VAT and potentially import duties in order to receive the items if they are valued at over the gift threshold limit for the country,” he added.
As the recipients would see the items description before opening their packages, the element of surprise that comes with unwrapping a gift would also be lost.
Plan ahead
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Gift givers keen to avoid such consequences should post their parcels “well before” the end of October, Mr Jinks said.
Royal Mail guidance states that if we leave the EU without a deal, it expects the bloc to treat UK imports as it does non-EU imports.
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