AEO-authorised. Food specialist. Built for UK trade.
We are Nottingham’s dedicated customs brokerage, handling everything from food and drink imports to complex duty regimes and advanced customs procedures, so your goods clear faster and your business stays compliant.
Nottingham-based.
Nationally trusted.
FN Customs was founded with a straightforward belief: UK businesses deserve customs support that is honest, responsive, and genuinely expert. Not a call centre reading off a script.
Post-Brexit transformed what importers need to know and do. We built our practice precisely around that complexity, starting with food and drink, which carries some of the most demanding import requirements of any sector.
“Customs isn’t bureaucracy. It’s the gateway to your supply chain. We make sure that gateway stays open.”
FN Customs Limited was established in Nottingham to provide a genuinely specialist customs service: not a generalist freight forwarder with a customs desk, but a brokerage whose entire practice is built around customs compliance.
We secured Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status, recognition by HMRC that our customs controls, processes, and compliance record meet the highest standards. AEO status means faster clearance and lower examination rates for our clients.
As a full member of the British International Freight Association, FN Customs adheres to a strict professional code of conduct. Our clients benefit from BIFA’s independent dispute resolution and the assurance that comes with industry membership.
From our Nottingham base we now serve clients across the UK, spanning food and drink, electric vehicles, industrial materials, and specialist customs regimes. The team and the expertise have grown; the commitment to personal, human service has not.
Industries
we serve
From everyday food imports to complex anti-dumping regimes and specialist customs procedures. If goods cross a UK border, we know how to clear them.
Food & Drink Imports
Food imports carry some of the most complex requirements of any UK import category. A missed IPAFFS pre-notification, an incorrect CHED classification, or a failed phytosanitary check can see your consignment held, rejected, or destroyed at port.
Our team handles every stage of the food import process, ensuring your goods comply with APHA, DEFRA, and Food Standards Agency requirements before they reach the border.
Food import services- IPAFFS pre-notifications: submitted accurately and on time for all animal and plant-based products
- CHED-P / CHED-D / CHED-PP: port health certificate coordination with the relevant authority
- Phytosanitary certificate verification: checked before goods depart origin, not at port
- Wine, spirits & beverages: AWRS licensing, VI-1 documents, and duty management
- Organic & certified products: TRACES NT notifications and certification verification
- Temperature-sensitive goods: priority clearance paths for perishables and chilled products
Electric Vehicles, E-Bikes & Batteries
The EV and battery sector is one of the fastest-changing areas of UK trade policy. Anti-dumping measures on Chinese-manufactured EVs and e-bikes, evolving CBAM obligations, and strict battery classification rules mean compliance errors carry real financial risk.
We stay ahead of every regulatory change, from provisional anti-dumping measures to Battery Passport requirements, so you’re never caught out by a rule that changed last quarter.
Discuss your requirements- Anti-dumping duty management: accurate ADD calculations on EVs and e-bikes, including Chinese-origin goods facing duties up to 45%
- CBAM readiness: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism reporting support as obligations expand
- Lithium battery classification: IATA/IMDG transport compliance and HS code accuracy
- UKCA & type approval: documentation review and import compliance for electric vehicles
- Critical mineral tariffs: commodity classification for battery-grade materials and components
- Battery Passport readiness: preparing importers for extended producer responsibility requirements
Metals, Ceramics & Industrial Materials
Steel, aluminium, ceramics, tiles, and engineered materials are subject to some of the most complex duty regimes in UK trade, including anti-dumping duties, safeguard measures, and quota management. An incorrect origin declaration or misclassified material can trigger penalties far exceeding the duty itself.
We monitor the Commodity Surveillance Register and apply for Binding Tariff Information where needed, so your commodity codes and duty assessments are always defensible.
Talk to our specialists- Anti-dumping duty assessment: ADD calculations for ceramics, tiles, tableware, and steel products from subject countries
- Steel & aluminium safeguards: quota monitoring, TRQ management, and safeguard measure compliance
- Country of origin verification: robust Rules of Origin evidence to support preference claims and avoid ADD exposure
- Commodity Surveillance Register: proactive monitoring of active and provisional measures affecting your goods
- BTI applications: Binding Tariff Information requests to secure your commodity classification
- Duty mitigation strategy: reviewing supply chains to legally minimise ADD and safeguard exposure
Advanced Customs Procedures
Not every import follows a simple pay-and-clear path. HMRC offers a range of special customs procedures that can defer, suspend, or eliminate duty liability entirely, if they are applied correctly with the right authorisations in place.
We hold the authorisations and have the operational experience to apply these regimes on your behalf, from trade show carnets to full inward processing operations.
Explore special regimes- ATA Carnets: temporary export of goods for trade shows, exhibitions, and professional equipment without duty liability
- Inward Processing Relief (IPR): suspend duty while goods are processed or repaired in the UK, then re-exported
- Customs Warehousing: defer duty and VAT until goods are released to the UK market, preserving cash flow
- Returned Goods Relief (RGR): recover duty on goods previously exported from the UK and returned
- Outward Processing Relief (OPR): pay duty only on the value added abroad, not the full reimport value
- Trade agreement preferences: UK-EU TCA, DCTS, UKVFTA and other FTA preference claims managed end-to-end
General B2B Import & Export
Beyond our specialist sectors, we provide full customs brokerage services for any UK business moving goods internationally, handling declarations, compliance, and documentation with the same precision we apply to our specialist work.
Whether you import a single commodity or manage a complex multi-supplier supply chain, our team provides a consistent, accurate, and responsive service, backed by our AEO accreditation.
All services- Full Customs Declarations: accurate CDS declarations for imports and exports, including multi-line consignments
- Commodity code classification: defensible HS and UK Trade Tariff codes, with BTI support where needed
- Duty deferment account management: we manage your DDA so you pay monthly, not per-entry
- EORI registration: new business set-up, HMRC registration, and declarant authorisation
- Import VAT & deferment: VAT accounting, postponed VAT accounting (PVA), and C79 certificate support
- HMRC audit support: preparation, documentation, and representation during customs compliance reviews
What sets
us apart.
Four principles that define how we work, and why our clients stay with us.
Genuine specialists,
not generalists
Every person on our team is a customs professional. Not a freight forwarder with a customs desk: a specialist whose entire practice is built around UK border compliance, tariff law, and trade regulation.
That depth of knowledge means we catch the issues generalists miss: the anti-dumping exposure, the misapplied preference claim, the phytosanitary requirement that changed last month.
24/7 human support:
no exceptions
Ports don’t close at 5pm. Neither do we. When your perishable food consignment is held at Tilbury at 11pm on a Saturday, you’ll reach a customs professional. Not a voicemail, not a chatbot.
Our team operates around the clock, covering all UK port hours and international time zones. Because in customs, timing is compliance.
Fast clearance.
Zero-error accuracy.
Our AEO status gives us expedited processing at UK ports: lower examination rates, faster releases, priority handling. That’s not a sales claim; it’s what HMRC accreditation means in practice.
We combine that speed with rigorous accuracy. Every declaration is checked before submission. Every commodity code is defensible. Every compliance requirement is met before the goods move.
Your HMRC record
stays clean.
A single compliance failure can trigger an HMRC audit, erode your AEO status, or generate penalties that dwarf the duty itself. We treat your compliance record as if it were our own.
Systematic accuracy, proactive regulatory monitoring, and clear documentation on every entry mean your import history remains exactly what it should be: clean, defensible, and audit-ready.
Ready to clear your goods
with confidence?
Talk to our team today. We’ll walk you through exactly how FN Customs can simplify your imports, minimise your duty exposure, and keep your HMRC record clean.