Brexit and its impact on international schools in the European Union

On 31st December 2020, the Brexit transition period between the European Union and the United Kingdom ended with a new partnership setting out the series of new rules and regulations coming into play as of 1st January 2021.

The new agreement covers areas such as:

• Trade in goods and services
• A level playing field
• Aviation and road transport
• Social security

In our latest blog, we take a look at what this means for international schools based in the European Union, its impact and what steps they should take to ensure they can get the resources they need quickly and efficiently.

What does Brexit mean for international schools?

When Brexit was first confirmed, the initial thoughts from those within the education market was that there would be an exodus of students from the UK to mainland Europe. In 2018, it was reported that schools in Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris were seeing large spikes in enrolment enquiries.

However, recent insight from ISC Research has shown that the exodus of Brits to Europe hasn’t happened as yet and thus there has been no spike in student numbers as a result. Whether this picture changes over the coming weeks and months is hard to know and as the world starts to settle down after COVID-19, we might start to see more movement taking place so it’s definitely a watch this space.

What is an EORI number and why is it important?

EORI stands for Economic Operators Registration and Identification number and forms an essential part of the post-Brexit relationship. Put simply, any businesses or people trading and moving physical goods to and within the European Union must use an EORI number for customs and identification purposes.

The EORI number consists as two separate parts. Firstly, the country code of the issuing member state, followed by a code or number that is unique in the member state. The EORI number for Findel Education for example consists of: GB (the member state) and 386321878000 (the unique reference number issued to us: GB386321878000.

So, how do you request an EORI number? It is free to apply for an EORI number and applications should be made to the customs authorities of the EU country in which you are established. Please note that different countries have different processes for getting an EORI number.

This article from Customs Support contains a handy guide to getting your EORI number with information for each EU country included and you can also speak to our European Sales Manager, Isabel Delgado, who will be able to help.

What duties and taxes will apply to my order?

With the Brexit transition period now over, shipments between the EU and the UK may face additional customs requirements and may face duties & taxes charges. This is the same situation to shipments into the EU from other countries around the world.

Customers will now have to pay local VAT in their country. As such, we will remove the UK VAT charge from any invoices. If you have any questions or would like to know more, our European Sales Manager, Isabel Delgado, is here to help.

To give you peace of mind, our team will provide commercial invoices for all shipments and will ensure that all documentation is present and correct to avoid any untimely delays in getting your resources.

We expect the picture around duties and taxes to continue to evolve as businesses develop their understanding of the new EU – UK relationship and we will continue to update this blog as and when new information emerges.

What does Brexit mean for educational resources?

Whilst all parties are continuing to understand what the new relationship between the EU and the UK means, we want to reassure its customers that we remain open for business and will continue to operate throughout this new chapter. The new relationship will take time to become embedded and there is no doubt that all parties will have questions.

Our international contact centre team are experienced in exporting and moving goods to over 130 countries around the world. We have strong relationships with the leading global distribution companies, and these relationships will continue in the future.

We are here to help you get the resources you need, when you need them. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us via your usual point of reference.