As part of our work we’ve been involved with Cabinet Office in helping to communicate with SMEs about the action they need to take to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period, which is now just two months away.

There are five key actions that businesses need to take and the message from government is clear:

The UK has left the EU and new rules for business with the EU start in January 2021. The transition period will end on 31 December 2020 and will not be extended – this is written into our laws. Our new relationship will involve a series of guaranteed changes and opportunities for businesses.

Your business will have to make a number of changes to ensure continued flow of people, data, goods and services between the UK and the EU. The majority of these changes will take place regardless of the agreement we reach with the EU on our future relationship, because we will be leaving the single market and customs union.

Depending on the activities your business undertakes, the key actions you need to take include:

• If you sell goods to the EU you must prepare for new customs procedures. Visit GOV.UK to check duties and customs procedures for exporting your goods worldwide from 1 January 2021.
• If you travel to the EU for work purposes you will need to check if you need a visa or work permit and apply if necessary.
• If you employ overseas nationals you will need to prepare your business for the implementation of the new immigration system. From 1 January 2021, if you want to hire anyone from outside the UK, including from the EU, you must be a Home Office licenced sponsor.
• If you are a UK business or organisation that receives personal data from contacts in the EEA, you may need to take extra steps to ensure that the data can continue to flow legally at the end of the transition period.
• If you provide services in the EU, you must ensure that your qualifications are now recognised by EU regulations to be able to practice or service clients in the EU.

Act now to prepare for the end of the transition period – this is less than one hundred days away. Use the simple checker tool on GOV.UK/transition now for a personalised summary of the actions you need to take.