Guidance

Trade with the Andean countries

How you import from and export to the Andean countries.

UK-Andean trade agreement

The UK has signed a trade agreement with the Andean countries.

The Andean countries that are covered by this agreement are:

  • Colombia
  • Ecuador
  • Peru

This guidance provides information on aspects of trade covered by the UK-Andean agreement. It is for UK businesses trading with the Andean countries.

What the agreement includes

This trade agreement includes provisions on:

  • trade in goods (including provisions on preferential tariffs, tariff rate quotas, rules of origin and sanitary and phytosanitary measures)
  • trade in services
  • intellectual property (including geographical indications)
  • government procurement

It replicates wider elements of the EU-Andean agreement, such as provisions on political dialogue and other forms of co-operation, including on human rights.

Tariff rates on goods

Tariff rates for bilateral trade in goods between the UK and the Andean countries continue to apply as set out in the agreement. However, in some cases, the non-preferential applied rates may in fact be lower because of changes in the UK’s Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule.

You can use online tools UK Integrated Online Tariff and check how to export goods to check product-specific and country-specific information on tariffs and regulations that currently apply to UK trade in goods. These tools are regularly updated to reflect any changes.

Tariff rate quotas

Tariff rate quotas in the agreement have been tailored specifically to the UK.

To find out the tariff rate quotas, see tables 4 to 9 of the parliamentary report.

Rules of origin

Finding the correct rule of origin for export

Depending on the type of good you are seeking to export, in order to claim preferential treatment it will need to be either wholly obtained or sufficiently processed.

To be considered sufficiently processed your good will need to meet the relevant product specific rule (PSR). The PSRs for this agreement use the 2007 version of the Harmonised System (HS) nomenclature. You should apply the PSR for your good using the code in which it was classified under this nomenclature.

In a limited number of cases the code for your good may have changed during HS revisions. We are currently updating our online services to reflect these changes. In the interim correlation tables tracing these changes have been made available by the World Customs Organization and The United Nations.

Claiming preferential rates for your exports from the UK

Unless you are permitted to provide an invoice declaration, you need to fill in a certificate of origin to claim preferential treatment.

Updated certificates of origin are available from your usual provider, for example chambers of commerce. Certificates show the UK as the place of origin rather than the EU.

If you currently use an EUR1 form, you can continue to do so.

Using EU materials and processing in your exports to the Andean countries

You can use EU materials or processing in your exports to the Andean countries. The UK and Andean countries must have fulfilled the necessary requirements set out in the Rules of Origin Protocol. You must also ensure that the working or processing you do in the UK goes beyond the minimal operations listed in the agreement and the other relevant conditions are met.

For example, you cannot simply package or label a product from the EU and export it to the Andean countries as a good originating in the UK.

The ability to consider materials from, or processing carried out in, another country as originating when incorporated into your product is called cumulation.

Using materials from other countries in your exports to the Andean countries

It is also possible to use materials from the other countries and territories referenced and defined in Article 4 of the Rules of Origin Protocol. Again, you must ensure that the working or processing you do in the UK goes beyond the minimal operations listed in the agreement and that the other relevant conditions are fulfilled.

Sending your goods to the Andean countries through the EU and other countries

Goods transited through the EU are not subject to the same restrictions as those in transit through other third countries.

For example, you can split a consignment in the EU when exporting goods to the Andean countries, provided the goods comprising the consignment have not cleared customs in the EU.

Transit through any other third country is possible provided your goods remain under customs surveillance and do not undergo operations other than unloading, reloading or any operation designed to preserve them in good condition.

Origin quotas

Origin quotas in the agreement have been tailored specifically to the UK. Please see tables 16 and 17 listed in the agreement Parliamentary Report, which detail the origin quotas.

Goods in transit and retrospective certificates of origin

If your goods were in transit when the EU-Andean agreement ceased to apply to the UK, you can obtain a retrospective certificate of origin. This shows that the goods originated in the UK and are eligible for preferential terms if your goods arrived on, or within 12 months after, the UK-Andean agreement started to apply.

You can get retrospective certificates of origin from your usual provider.

Geographical indications

Geographical indications (GIs) protect the geographical names of food, drink and agricultural products.

Both the UK and the Andean countries’ existing GIs remain covered by this agreement.

The following UK GIs, including ‘transborder GIs’ that relate to the territory of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, are protected in this agreement:

  • Scotch whisky
  • Irish whisky/Irish whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireannach
  • Irish Cream

The UK-Andean agreement also includes a joint declaration on the treatment of 14 new pending GIs made by the Andean countries.

Agricultural safeguard measures

Agricultural safeguard measures have also been carried over into the UK-Andean trade agreement. These allow Andean countries to impose higher import tariffs on specific products if the import volume exceeds an agreed threshold (trigger import volume). The existing trigger levels have been resized because the UK is no longer a member of the EU.

You can see the new trigger volumes in Tables 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 of the parliamentary report.

Further information

Find further guidance on exporting.

Find out about moving goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland.

Freight forwarding may save you time and money if you’re exporting large volumes of goods or high value items by sea or air freight. Find out more about moving goods and using freight forwarders.

This guidance is for information only. You should consult your legal advisers if you wish to ensure you understand the legal implications of trading for your business.

Contact

If you have queries about trade, contact the Department for International Trade (DIT).

Should you wish to speak to someone directly, we have local trade offices based around the UK. Within each office, you can contact an international trade adviser. Find your local trade office.

Published 8 August 2019
Last updated 1 January 2022 + show all updates
  1. Added guidance on finding the correct rule of origin for export.

  2. Page updated to provide detailed guidance on how to trade with Andean countries from 1 January 2021. This includes information on import tariff rates and rules of origin.

  3. First published.