SPE15595 - Discharge of the customs warehousing procedure: First In – First Out (FIFO)

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Where goods have been entered under several declarations and it is not possible to differentiate between the goods, release from the warehousing procedures may be made on a ‘first in - first out’ basis.

First In-First Out allows the warehouse keeper to use the earliest entry against the earliest removal so that the discharge of duty liability is made on a ‘first in-first out’ basis. Approval of FIFO does not remove the normal obligations that have to be met by the warehouse keeper such as, ensuring that if common storage is used the trader doesn’t obtain a duty advantage for the goods greater than they are entitled to and that if a tariff preference is claimed that the preference certificate is valid and appropriate to the goods removed. See SPE15460 for further information on common storage.

Note: Northern Ireland (NI) customs authorisations will continue to fall within the provisions of the Union Customs Code (UCC), as retained by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and CEMA 1979.