AEO-accredited UK customs broker Clearing goods into the UK since 1982
UK customs clearance specialists · Since 1982
Chilled meat. Fresh melons. Nuts, seeds and cut flowers. The time-critical, paperwork-heavy shipments other brokers dread are our everyday. We clear them through every major UK port, first time, with an update at every step.
Free, no-obligation quote. A reply from a specialist, not a call centre.
Chilled lamb · 40ft reefer
Auckland Felixstowe
Accredited & trusted
Why it matters
A late IPAFFS notification. A health certificate that doesn’t match. One wrong digit in a commodity code. For time-critical cargo, that isn’t a paperwork problem. It’s a container held at the Border Control Post, charges mounting, shelf life draining away and a customer waiting for stock that isn’t coming.
A missing certificate or late pre-notification can strand a container at the Border Control Post while its shelf life ticks away.
Port storage, demurrage and detention start adding up from the moment a box stops moving.
The wrong paperwork on controlled goods can mean re-export or destruction, and a lost load.
A wrong commodity code or a missed preference means paying too much now, or HMRC penalties later.
Our job is to make sure none of that happens to you. We fix problems at the desk, not at the dock.
What we do
One specialist team for the declarations, the pre-notifications, the Port Health paperwork and the advice in between, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Trailers, containers, RoRo and air freight, cleared at every major UK port. Declarations lodged on HMRC’s Customs Declaration Service, with duty and VAT worked out up front.
Products of animal origin, high-risk food and feed, plants and plant products. We pre-notify on IPAFFS, manage your CHEDs and coordinate checks with Port Health, APHA and DEFRA.
Organic certificates of inspection and CITES permits, handled properly. Certified and protected goods arrive with their status, and their value, intact.
Rules of origin, preferential trade, commodity codes and Advance Tariff Rulings. Pay exactly what you owe, and have the evidence to prove it.
A thorough review of your customs processes, records and risks, then a clear plan to close the gaps before HMRC finds them.
Proactive milestone updates by email, our client portal or EDI, from document receipt to final clearance. No more chasing for news.
Not sure which service you need? Tell us what you’re moving and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Ask a specialistWhat we clear
General cargo, of course. But our reputation is built on controlled goods: the food, plants and products that need health certificates, pre-notifications and inspections, not just a declaration. We clear thousands of them every month.
The clearance manifest
What it typically takes| Goods | Typically involves | Document |
|---|---|---|
| Meat & poultry | Health certificate, IPAFFS pre-notification, BCP checks | CHED-P |
| Fish & seafood | Catch and health certificates, BCP checks | CHED-P |
| Dairy, honey & composites | Health certificate, IPAFFS pre-notification | CHED-P |
| Nuts, seeds & dried fruit | Pre-notification, document checks, sampling where required | CHED-D |
| Fresh fruit & vegetables | Phytosanitary certificate, plant health checks | CHED-PP |
| Plants & cut flowers | Phytosanitary certificate, plant health checks | CHED-PP |
| Wood & timber products | Plant health controls under Forestry Commission rules | CHED-PP |
| Organic produce | Organic certificate of inspection | COI |
| CITES-listed goods | CITES import and export permits | CITES |
| General cargo | Classification, valuation and origin, done right | CDS |
Don’t see your goods? We almost certainly clear them. Ask us
How it works
You tell us what’s coming. We handle everything between the quayside and your collection, and keep you posted the whole way.
Share your shipment details and documents by email, through our client portal, or straight from your own system via EDI.
Before your goods land, we’ve checked the codes, origin, certificates and pre-notifications. Problems get solved before they can cost you.
Entries lodged with HMRC. Port Health, APHA and DEFRA coordinated. Any inspection or sampling booked and followed through.
Release confirmed, duty and VAT settled, and your goods free to move, with an update at every milestone along the way.
Coverage
From our Felixstowe head office, on the doorstep of Britain’s busiest container port, and offices across the UK, we clear goods wherever they enter the country.
Port not listed? We almost certainly cover it. Ask us.
20+years clearing Melon&Co’s fresh produce
Client story · Fresh produce
Agricola Famosa grows melons on 30,000 hectares in Brazil and supplies more melons to the UK than anyone else. When Brexit and new SPS controls rewrote the rules for their UK business, Melon&Co, we got them ready for IPAFFS, made sure Rules of Origin and preference requirements were met, and connected our systems directly to theirs, keeping the extra customs admin to a minimum.
“We chose to work with RBF due to their reputation for integrity and customer service, coupled with their specialist knowledge in fresh produce.”
“Their expertise in areas such as IPAFFS, SPS controls, Rules of Origin, and Preference requirements has been invaluable.”
Why RBF
Clearance is what we do. Clarity is how we do it: in the way we handle your goods, the way we keep you informed and the way we advise you.
Four decades of specialist knowledge in food, fresh produce and controlled goods. We get the detail right first time, so your goods keep moving.
40+ years · AEO-accredited
Proactive reporting at every milestone, by email, client portal or EDI. You’ll know where your cargo stands before you think to ask.
Email · Portal · EDI
Straight answers on duty, origin and compliance from experienced people who pick up the phone, and who flag rule changes before they reach you.
Duty · Origin · Compliance
Importers, exporters, freight forwarders and hauliers all trust RBF with their clearances. We work alongside whoever moves your freight, and we look after your customers like our own.
About RBF
RBF Cargocare has been clearing goods into the UK since 1982. Today our team works from four offices across the country, led from our head office in Felixstowe.
Our people are the difference. Some have decades of experience; others joined us as apprentices and now run parts of the business. Together they give our clients something rare: the right advice at the right time, from someone who’s seen it before.
We grow our own. We’ve long invested in young people in Felixstowe through apprenticeships, and four former apprentices now take responsibility for key areas of the business.
FAQs
Can’t see yours? Talk to a specialist. We’re always happy to help, whether you’re a client yet or not.
We clear goods at every major UK sea, air and RoRo port, including Felixstowe, London Gateway, Southampton, Tilbury, Dover and the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone, from four offices across the country. If your goods are arriving somewhere else, ask us: we almost certainly cover it.
Yes, it’s our specialism. We handle IPAFFS pre-notifications and CHEDs for products of animal origin (CHED-P), high-risk food and feed not of animal origin (CHED-D) and plants and plant products (CHED-PP), and work with Port Health on any checks at the Border Control Post.
Of course. RBF Cargocare is a neutral customs broker, open to all. We work alongside your existing forwarder or haulier, or directly with you, whichever keeps your supply chain simplest.
Usually a commercial invoice, packing list and transport document (bill of lading, CMR or air waybill), plus your EORI number. Controlled goods also need the right health, phytosanitary, catch, organic or CITES certificates.
We’ll confirm exactly what’s required before your goods ship, so nothing is missing on arrival.
We’ll tell you before you need to ask. You get proactive updates at every milestone (documents received, arrival, entry lodged, any HMRC or Port Health checks, and final clearance) by email, through our client portal or via EDI.
Where the rules allow, yes. We review commodity codes, rules of origin and preferential trade agreements, and can help you secure Advance Tariff Rulings, so you pay the minimum duty you legally owe, with the evidence to back it up.
Yes. We clear exports as well as imports, and we’ll advise on the documentation your goods need to reach their destination smoothly.
Tell us about your next shipment using the quote form or call 01394 671775. A specialist will talk you through what we need and get your account set up. Existing clients can log in to the client portal at any time.
Get a quote
Share a few details and a customs specialist will come back to you with a clear, no-obligation quote.
