General release to free circulation
Information on general release to free circulation.
General release to free circulation is a UK customs policy that has no specific legislation. It is simply a facilitation that can be given to inward processing importers that have a proven history of compliance. So, it is not a right, but something HMRC can offer based on trust that the grantee can meet the requirements specified in the authorisation letter.
The facilitation enables the authorised party to release IP goods to free circulation at any time within the Bill of Discharge reporting period without having to account for those goods via a declaration until the day the BOD is due. For example HMRC expectation is that importers will have made a declaration to Free Circulation and recorded this on the BOD by the date on which the BOD is due.