UK to No Longer Offer 'Alternative Dates' for Certain On-Site Export-Related Inspections
The United Kingdom’s Export Control Joint Unit amended its inspection process for the use of open licenses and electronic standard individual export licenses, the ECJU said in a Feb. 6 notice. As part of the change, companies will be informed of the ”exact date” that their records will be inspected, the ECJU said, adding that it will no longer offer “alternative dates.” The U.K. said it will still give companies between four and six weeks' notice before the inspection date.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
The ECJU made the change because of “problems” trying to schedule on-site inspections with U.K. businesses. “These issues have caused an unacceptable reduction in the total number of inspections we have been able to carry out,” the U.K. said. The ECJU said the change does not “diminish” the office’s authority to “enter premises, at any reasonable hour, to inspect records.” Any failure to “permit an inspection to take place would be a breach of the order” and the U.K.’s revenue and customs agency will be “informed of any acts of non-compliance in this regard.”