With the Brexit deadline getting ever closer, the UK Government has published a report to inform businesses and citizens on what they need to do to get ready for Brexit on 31 October if the UK  leave without a deal. The No-Deal Readiness Report also sets out the preparation underway to ensure that goods continue to flow smoothly across the UK and EU border after Brexit, with measures in place and information given to traders, businesses and hauliers on what they need to do to prepare before 31 October.

These include:

• the automatic allocation of Economic Operator Registration Indicator (EORI) numbers to 88,000 VAT registered companies across the UK that frequently trade with the EU;
• postponed VAT accounting for both EU and non-EU imports, enabling VAT-registered businesses to wait until their next VAT return to declare and recover import VAT on goods- helping their cash flow and reducing costs at the point of import;
• a Temporary Tariff Regime (TTR) for all imports, including from the EU, supporting consumers, business supply chains and those sectors in the UK economy that would most benefit from support as we leave, for up to 12 months; and
• HMRC sending 220,000 businesses guidance on the steps they need to take to import and export after we leave the EU on 31 October.

To help ensure the UK’s health sector is prepared, the Government is today establishing a dedicated ‘Support Unit’ for suppliers of medical goods in the health sector. The UK will also continue to cover those travelling to the EU using an EHIC to access healthcare, whose visits commenced prior to Brexit day until they return to the UK, up to a period of six months.

This report follows the campaign launched a month ago to to get public and business owners ready for Brexit. The Get Ready for Brexit campaign was officially launched in the EU on the 16 September with paid-for media across all EU countries aimed at UK nationals. This website offers users a self-check tool to see what actions you may need to take ahead of the 31 October.

The campaign’s key messages are for businesses to import/export goods, for national visiting the Eu, for national living and working in the UK and for Eu citizens staying in the UK.

EU citizens living in the UK can check if they need to apply to the settlement scheme.