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Unfettered market access for Northern Ireland traders

Northern Ireland specific

Information on the movement of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain under the unfettered market access.

The Government has committed to unfettered access for Northern Ireland traders to the rest of the UK market.  

The UK Government is adopting a two phased approach to implement this commitment.  

Phase 1 will apply from 1 January 2021. In this phase a qualifying Northern Ireland good is one that either: 

  • is present in Northern Ireland and not subject to any customs supervision, restriction or control  
  • has undergone processing operations in Northern Ireland incorporating either domestic goods or goods not under customs supervision, restriction or control at the time of processing  

Phase 2 will be brought forward over the course of 2022 and will focus on qualifying status for Northern Ireland businesses. Further detail on Phase 2 will be released in due course. 

There is more detail on moving foods or feeds from Northern Ireland to Great Britain under The Northern Ireland Protocol.