Custom Clearance Agent

What Is a Custom Clearance Agent, and Do I Need One?

Do you know the difference and crossover between Freight Forwarding companies and Customs Clearance Agents? If you are preparing to ship goods abroad, it is vital to know about both and their differences.

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A Freight Forwarder ships your goods, and a Customs Clearance Agent gets it past the border. Choosing a reliable, experienced, and trustworthy agent is essential to get your goods efficiently where they need to go. Every shipment delay costs time, money, and stress, so having the right agent in place can make all the difference. In some cases, like with Barrington Freight, the freight forwarder and clearance agent are the same entity, which can help streamline the shipping and customs processes.

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What Is a Custom Clearance Agent, and Do I Need One?

Every country has its own customs requirements relating to import and export clearance, so it is essential to have a local expert on your team to streamline processes. But one common condition is that the Customs Clearance Agent – or customs broker as they are known in some countries – are accredited with local customs border agencies and authorities to get goods cleared and into the country.

An agent should have a valid clearing licence when clearing customer goods, so be sure your agent’s credentials are up to date. Many countries have stringent licensing requirements subject to regular review – if agents do not follow the rules perfectly, their licence is revoked. Some countries even hold exams to ensure agents maintain a high standard, although others prefer to review acquired experience.

  • Apart from lodging documentation with customs, a Customs Clearance Agent has other responsibilities and requirements to fulfil. The agent must:
  • Be a company accredited with the local customs authorities and border agencies.
  • Have in-depth knowledge of the codes, duties, and VAT.
  • Organises payment for duty and VAT.
  • Negotiate freight rates with carriers for clients.
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What Are the Most Important Aspects to Consider?

One of the most significant traits needed of your Customs Clearance Agent is organisation skills. There is a great deal of paperwork to gain export and import clearance. The client, AKA you, will pay the ultimate price if anything during shipping and clearance goes wrong. Be sure your agent takes their job as the serious endeavour it is.

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An agent is often specific to the country they are based in and deal directly with the local customs authorities. A Freight Forwarder has a global presence. We combine the two and have an in-house customs clearance department at Barrington, so you will not need to search around to find a responsible third party involved in proceedings; we will do it for you. The significant advantage to this is that we can handle everything for you and advise on the best course of action to get your goods cleared quickly and easily every time for your global trade activities.

We are friendly, easy to work with, honest and we do not charge the earth.

For more information about our customs clearance or freight forwarding services or if you have an unusual load request, reach out to our operations team on 01268 978660 or email sales@barringtonfreight.co.uk.

Sophie Benge
Sophie Benge
2024-02-06
Joshua at Barrington Freight is friendly and patient. Their service hassle-free and affordable compared to other freight forwarders.
Alex Burton
Alex Burton
2024-02-04
Fantastic service from Barrington Freight. It was our first time exporting goods from the UK and it was very reassuring to have them manage the shipment. The process was made easy and hassle free and Simon was always quick to respond to any queries. I would highly recommend.
Mat Wilkinson
Mat Wilkinson
2024-01-22
these guys are excellent. Incredibly helpful, flexible and friendly- i cant recommend them highly enough- genuinely a brilliant team.
Top Tips
Top Tips
2023-11-14
The guys at Barrington are brilliant! I've used them for my shipments for around 12 years now and they never let you down. Always happy to help with anything!
David Darrock
David Darrock
2023-11-10
Barrington Freight are extremely helpful and professional, promptly answering any questions or queries. Communication from them has been great and they have taken the difficulty out of importing freight.
Scott Glazebrook
Scott Glazebrook
2023-11-01
Our business is the supply of high end luxury furniture and as such we rely on Barrington Freight to provide a 5* delivery service which they have done time and time again. Reliable, friendly and efficient sums up this great approachable freight forwarding business.
Krishan Dhillon
Krishan Dhillon
2023-11-01
10/10, dealt with everything start to finish. Customer service was friendly and helpful
Sharmane Barrett
Sharmane Barrett
2023-10-20
We had a last minute request and Lee was fantastic in helping us to arrange transportation and facilitate delivery from Europe, very quickly with no hiccups. I would highly recommend.
Simon Edgecombe
Simon Edgecombe
2023-10-16
HAVING USED MANY SHIPPERS TO IMPORT OUR GOODS FROM THE USA (NONE OUTSTANDING) I DECIDED THIS TIME TO HAVE A SEARCH AROUND TO SEE IF I COULD FIND A BETTER OPTION. I FOUND BARRINGTON FREIGHT AFTER EMAILING MANY OTHERS, SOME OF THEM (UPS,DHL,FEDEX) SIMPLY TOOK SO LONG TO CONTACT ME, THAT IT BECAME STUPID, SIMON AT BARRINGTON CAME BACK TO ME VIRTUALLY STRAIGHT AWAY WITH A VERY GOOD PRICE, ALSO GOOD SHIPPING TIMES. NOW A SERVICE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE RESULTS, AND THEY WERE AS GOOD AS THEIR WORD. HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND THEM AND SIMON AT BARRINGTON FREIGHT WILL BE THE FIRST PERSON WE GO TO NEXT TIME, WELL DONE!!