Guidance

Attending an inland border facility

Updated 18 January 2021

Before you go to an inland border facility

You may need to go to a facility if you’ve:

• entered the UK or plan to exit the UK through Dover, Eurotunnel or Holyhead and you need any of the following:
  • to start or end a CTC movement
  • CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) checks
  • an ATA Carnet or TIR Carnet to be stamped
• been directed there, as you’re not border ready (you’re not carrying the necessary documentation)
• been directed there for a document or physical inspection of your load as a compliance check

If a haulier is using an authorised consignor or consignee, they can start the movement of goods from their premises or an approved customs facility. They will not need to use an inland border facility.

Get ‘border ready’

Get ready before you reach Kent

You must be ‘border ready’ before you reach Kent ports or you’ll be turned away.

If you’re crossing the Channel by Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover, you must:

• check a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) is ready to cross the border
• get a Kent Access Permit (KAP) before entering Kent – or you could be turned back

You are strongly encouraged to get a coronavirus (COVID-19) test before you reach Kent. If you get a negative test, you can travel straight to the port of Dover or Eurotunnel without delay.

For outbound movements through Kent

1. If you’re entering Kent from the North of England, you must make sure your procedures are cleared at Birmingham or Warrington before you reach Kent ports.
2. As a last resort, Ebbsfleet can be used. Do not go to Manston or Waterbrook when they are in use.
3. Do not wait until you’ve reached the port in Kent.

Holyhead

Get ready before you travel to Holyhead, use an authorised consignor or consignee to start or end your transit movement.

Check for more information on getting ready for Welsh ports on the Gov.wales website.

Documents you’ll need to bring

You’ll need all relevant paperwork in relation to your movement. For example:

• for all outbound movements through Kent, you’ll need a digitally issued Kent access permit – read the check an HGV is ready to cross the border (Kent Access Permit) guidance to find out more information about outbound movements through Kent and entry to the Kent site

• for all transit movements, you’ll need a paper transit accompanying document, which must remain with your goods throughout the movement – these can be issued at sites offering an office of departure

• to start a transit movement at an office of departure, you’ll need a local reference number or movement reference number associated with your consignment – you can get reference numbers from the New Computerised Transit System declarant

• to end a transit movement at an office of destination, you’ll need the transit accompanying document associated with your consignment

• for CITES goods, you’ll need a CITES licence (depending on the movement and goods of your vehicle)

• for outbound Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) prioritised goods, for example, seafood and day old chicks, you’ll need a digitally issued controlled access permit

CITES permits allow you to import, export, or re-export endangered animal and plant species. The UK will continue complying with this after the transition period from January 2021. You’ll need to present your CITES documentation to the Border Force at the port or at the inland border facility.

Locations of inland border facilities

Site	Location	Functions
Birmingham (inbound and outbound)	Birmingham inland border facility, Birmingham International Airport site, BHX Car Park 6, B26 3QY	• start transit movement (office of departure) • end transit movement (office of destination) • ATA and TIR Carnets stamp • physical checks and inspections
Dover Western Docks (inbound)	Dover Western Docks, Lord Warden Square, Dover, CT17 9DN	• end transit movement (office of destination) • ATA and TIR Carnets stamp • CITES licence check • physical checks and inspections
Ebbsfleet (outbound)	Ebbsfleet inland border facility, International Way, Ebbsfleet Valley, DA10 1EB	• start transit movement (office of departure) • ATA and TIR Carnets stamp • CITES licence check • Defra prioritisation (seafood and day old chicks) • physical checks and inspections Between the hours of 11pm and 7am this facility is only available to the Prioritisation of Goods process.
Port of Holyhead (inbound and outbound)	Holyhead Port	• office of transit • CITES licence check
Roadking Truckstop at Holyhead border facility	Roadking Truckstop, Parc Cybi, Kingsland, Holyhead, LL65 2YQ	• office of destination and office of departure • ATA and TIR Carnets stamps can be done at the Roadking Truck stop – pre-booking required Get ready before you travel to Holyhead, use an authorised consignor or consignee to start or end your transit movement.
Manston (outbound)	Manston Airport, The Cargo Centre, Spitfire Way, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 5FF	Use when Port of Dover traffic management processes are put in place
North Weald (outbound)	HMRC inland border facility, North Weald Airfield, Merlin Way, North Weald Bassett, Epping, CM16 6GB	• start transit movement (office of departure) • ATA and TIR Carnets stamp • physical checks and inspections
Sevington (inbound and outbound)	Sevington inland border facility, Adjacent J10a M20, Ashford For satellite navigation use: 51.132138, 0.914994	• traffic management only during January and February 2021 (further guidance to follow)
Stop 24 (inbound)	Stop 24, Folkestone Services, Junction 11 M20, Hythe, CT21 4BL	• end transit movement (office of destination) • ATA and TIR Carnets stamp • physical checks and inspections
Warrington (inbound and outbound)	Warrington inland border facility, Barley Castle Lane, Appleton Thorn, Warrington, WA4 4SR	• start transit movement (office of departure) • end transit movement (office of destination) • ATA and TIR Carnets stamp • physical checks and inspections
Waterbrook (inbound and outbound)	Ashford, Waterbrook inland border facility, Waterbrook Avenue, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0GB	• start transit movement (office of departure) • end transit movement (office of destination) • ATA and TIR Carnets stamp • CITES • physical checks and inspections traffic management

For Stop 24 and Dover Western Docks, in addition to the inland border facilities, we’re securing additional capacity at the existing offices at Dover Western Docks to support Port of Dover traffic and Stop 24. This will support Eurotunnel traffic needing to carry out the functions listed and will not affect the commercial operations at these sites.

Tell HMRC that you’re going to be attending an inland border facility

You should tell HMRC in advance that you’re attending an inland border facility because the goods you’re moving:

• are going to an office of departure or office of destination (starting or ending a transit movement)
• are covered by an ATA Carnet
• need a CITES permit

Regardless of why you attend the site, if your goods have been flagged as ‘held’ for a compliance check, you must let front office staff know about this upon your arrival.

You can also check if there are any delays at an inland border facility.

What to expect when visiting inland border facility

There will be local signage in place to help direct you to the site along the strategic main roads.

Upon arrival at the site, you’ll be greeted by a traffic management marshal.

There will be automatic number plate recognition cameras at the entry and exit points of the site. This monitors which HGVs are entering and exiting the site to manage traffic flows.

A quick visual inspection of the vehicle will be done by security marshals at the entry check point. For example, they’ll check that there are no leaks and that the vehicle is not prohibited as a result of these checks.

Following this, you’ll be directed to a vacant parking bay. Once you’ve parked your vehicle, you’ll be asked to switch your engine off by the traffic management marshal and to keep it off whilst you’re parked. There should be no idling of engines.

If your goods have been flagged as ‘held’ for a compliance check, you must tell front office staff this when you arrive.

You’ll then take your documents to the front office, where there’ll be a coronavirus (COVID-19) restricted waiting area. Once you’ve completed the paperwork process, you’ll either receive approval and can return to your vehicle where you’ll be given a pass to move off site, or if there is non-approval, you’ll follow a separate process.

You’ll then be able to exit the site and re-join the strategic main road.

If your vehicle is excluded

It’s possible that vehicles may arrive at the site which are classed as ‘excluded’ from the requirement to park on the site. This is based on things like load content, vehicle size and the presence of hazardous goods. If there are any issues, your vehicle will be moved to the marshal inspection bays for further examination by a senior security marshal.

Vehicles are excluded if they contain:

• livestock and other live loads (exemptions to this apply on sites that process CITES movements)
• any vehicle transporting abnormal loads, which are:
  • a weight of more than 44,000kg
  • an axle load of more than 10,000kg for a single non-driving axle and 11,500kg for a single driving axle
  • a width of more than 2.9m
  • a rigid length of more than 18.65m
• the following hazardous goods:
  • class 1 substances and articles (explosives) and class 4.1 substances (polymerizing substances)
  • category I or II nuclear material
  • high consequence dangerous goods
  • class 6.1 substances (insecticides)
• vehicles subject to Special Types General Order (STGO) 2003

Parking on site

Once customs checks have been completed at a facility, drivers are expected to leave the site and continue their journey. This is to make sure the number of vehicles on site is kept to a minimum to reduce the risk of congestion.

Parking for extended periods will not be available and drivers will be charged if their stay exceeds the grace period of two hours (not including the time it takes for physical checks to be carried out). This is in line with existing arrangements in place at port locations.

Parking can be paid for at the front office, either by debit or credit card (Visa and MasterCard only).

Duration of the checks

We estimate that you will need between 1 to 2 hours at the facility to go through customs clearance. Make sure you leave sufficient time when planning your journey.

The sites are manned and operated 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, except for Holyhead (using the Roadking site), for which you will need to give Border Force 24 hours notice.

Once you’ve completed the paperwork process, you can return to your vehicle and you should leave as soon as possible.

Facilities available on sites

All sites will provide water, toilets, and handwashing facilities. Additional facilities are offered on a site-by-site basis as outlined in each site-specific section. Cookers and fires are not permitted on-site.

Coronavirus secure measures

To limit risks from the coronavirus virus, there will be hot and cold running water, hand cleaning facilities and provision of drinking water. The sites have been designed taking social distancing into consideration, and the latest Government guidelines on coronavirus will be followed in all circumstances, including at public counters.