Eligibility for authorisation
4.—(1) The following criteria must be met before an authorisation is granted to a person to use the bulk Customs declaration process—
(a)an HMRC officer(1) must be of the opinion that it is possible to exercise control of any goods declared under the bulk Customs declaration process without the effects being disproportionate to the benefit to the person of using the process; and
(b)an HMRC officer must be satisfied that the person will exercise proper conduct of the operations necessary to comply with the requirements of the bulk Customs declaration process.
(2) For the purposes of considering whether the person will exercise proper conduct of the operations necessary to comply with the requirements of the bulk Customs declaration process, the matters that an HMRC officer may take into account include (for example)—
(a)whether the person, or any directors or senior employees of the person, has been involved in a breach of an obligation relating to tax or of a Customs obligation, which in the opinion of an HMRC officer is—
(i)a serious breach having regard to the circumstances and nature of any breach and the number of any breaches; and
(ii)relevant to the suitability of the person to use the bulk Customs declaration process;
(b)whether the person, or any directors or senior employees of the person, has any criminal conviction which in the opinion of the HMRC officer is—
(i)serious having regard to the type of conviction; and
(ii)relevant to the suitability of the person to use the bulk Customs declaration process;
(c)whether the person maintains a logistical system and records that identify sufficiently the movement of, and transactions in, chargeable goods and domestic goods and facilitate compliance with Customs obligations;
(d)whether—
(i)the person meets any professional standards of competence specified in a notice published by HMRC under regulation 93(2) of the import duty regulations; or
(ii)in the opinion of an HMRC officer the person’s practical experience makes that person suitable to be an authorised declarant.
(3) The bulk Customs declaration process must be used in compliance with any conditions contained in the authorisation.
“HMRC officer” is defined in section 37(1) of the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 as an officer of Revenue and Customs.