Customs clearance office near a port or airport

Manufacturers, wholesalers, food and drink firms, haulage companies and freight forwarders that import or export regularly.

Fees per declaration, monthly contracts for regular volumes, and extra charges for advice, tariff checks and urgent clearances.

• Strong knowledge of customs procedures
• Managing people and deadlines
• Building relationships with freight businesses

• Professional indemnity, public liability and employer's liability insurance once you hire
• Check HMRC's rules on acting as an agent, including your liability for duty and VAT
• Check how any guarantees or deferment accounts for paying duty would work
• Big forwarders may compete on price, so find a niche you can serve well
• Check data protection duties when handling clients' commercial information

Startup costs are typically estimated at around £8,000 to £30,000, depending on the office, software, insurance and how many staff you take on at the start. Get quotes for each before you commit.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £6,000 to £25,000, depending on your client base, the volume of declarations, your niche and your fees. This is revenue before costs, not profit.

Check HMRC's rules on acting as an agent, including your liability for duty and VAT, and how any guarantees or deferment accounts would work. Also check professional indemnity, public liability and employer's liability insurance, and data protection duties.