Europa launches simple solutions to French legislative changes coming into force on 1 Jan 2026

From 1 January 2026, UK exporters trading into the European Union will face new regulations at the border. The French tax authorities have confirmed that UK companies exporting goods through France under Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) will need to have their own French VAT number or rely on a compliant structure where the importer of record is established in the EU.

In the wake of Brexit, Europa became the first logistics provider to deliver a DDP solution for road freight travelling from the UK to Europe. Branded as Europa Flow, this pioneering service gave UK exporters a reliable route to continue trading with the EU during a period of unprecedented uncertainty.

Faced with fiscal regulation changes that some freight-forwarders have dramatised, causing confusion for businesses across the UK and the EU from 1st January 2026, the global logistics operator has worked hard to analyse and understand the implications so as to provide two simple, compliant alternatives that ensure UK businesses can continue to use DDP and Regime 42 in 2026 with minimal impact to their customers.

Drawing on its position of strength with over 100 in-house customs specialists working across the EU and UK, these latest evolutions within its family of customs solutions will enable British businesses to trade seamlessly with Europe into 2026 and beyond.

From the 1st of January, DDP Flow – Importer’s Signature will provide a simplified option in which the EU consignee signs a limited fiscal agreement, allowing Europa to act as indirect representative to exempt VAT. All duties and charges remain billed back to the exporter, ensuring consignments move seamlessly across borders while preserving the DDP customer experience.

Alternatively, DDP Flow – Own French VAT Number will enable exporters to remain importer of record while Europa arranges and manages the administration for a French VAT number and associated reporting on its shipments free of charge.

The latest in a long line of innovations to improve bilateral trade post-Brexit, Europa’s services integrate seamlessly into HMRC and French Customs to ensure efficiency and control for British businesses.

Andrew Baxter, Chief Executive Officer at Europa Worldwide Group, explained: “We have moved decisively to counter incorrect claims by several operators suggesting that British exporters using DDP will lose access to Regime 42 in January 2026 when transporting goods through France.

“This has caused concern and eroded confidence for British exporters, many of whom are innovative, small to medium businesses. Our focus at Europa has been provide clarity, reassurance and simple choices for exporters in the UK so that they can continue to navigate what is an increasingly complex trading environment.

Europa Worldwide Group is one of the largest independent logistics operators in the UK and has a customs presence at key EU points of entry and exit as being the largest customs broker in Calais. With a team of 100 customs experts operating across the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Europa controls both the transport and the clearance on behalf of its customers rather than relying on third party support.

Europa’s transport hub in Dartford – the largest European groupage hub in the UK – was built to centralise its European road freight operations in 2015, providing greater efficiency, lower distribution costs and increased daily services to the continent.

With 56 per cent of its groupage exports being shipped using DDP incoterms, Europa continues to establish itself as a market leader in European road logistics.

Andrew continued: “What businesses need now is an expert invested in optimising the flow of UK-EU logistics, who can help cut through the red tape and ensure European customers can receive shipments just like they did pre-Brexit.

“When we were made aware of the confusion circulating across the industry, it was our priority to actively reach out to customers and address the situation as best we could. Initially, there was a good deal of confusion and we have engaged with hundreds of customers to address their concerns. I’m pleased to say that our expert customs professionals were able to offer the necessary reassurance to restore this confidence.”

“As the regulations landscape continues to evolve, and because customs expertise is so integrated into our software systems, we remain ahead of the curve and provide British exporters with the infrastructure needed to seamlessly transport their goods.”

Europa Worldwide Group comprises Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea and Europa Warehouse. It’s expert European road freight division has 15 dedicated branches across the UK and Ireland, as well as teams in the EU. It was the first company to create a DDP solution for customers post-Brexit and works closely with HMRC in the UK and its EU equivalents.