HMRC have recently updated their guidance on accounting for VAT on goods imported from outside the UK, which, since Brexit, includes the European Union.

Businesses registered for VAT in the UK can account for import VAT on their VAT Return for goods imported into:

• Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from anywhere outside the UK
• Northern Ireland from outside the UK and EU

Businesses can also account for import VAT for goods moved between Great Britain and Northern Ireland that are declared into a customs special procedure when they are removed from that special procedure.

You do not need HMRC approval to account for import VAT on your VAT Return. Accounting for import VAT on your VAT Return has significant cash flow benefits as you declare and recover import VAT on the same VAT return, rather than having to pay it upfront when the goods are imported and retrieve it later.