Customs clearance at the Port of Santander

Brexit turned Santander into a genuine customs facility again

Until 2021 a trailer that arrived from Portsmouth or Plymouth circulated as intra-community trade: no declaration, no classification, no settlement. Today it needs an import DUA, tariff classification, settlement of duties and VAT and, when the goods have preferential British origin, the correct proof of origin so that the tariff is zero.

That last point is what clogs the most cases in the Cantabrian: the agreement allows avoiding the tariff, but it must be proven with the correct document and many British suppliers still send an invoice without the proof of origin. If it arrives like this, it must be completed or paid. We review it before the ship docks, not when the trailer is already at the dock accruing dockage fees.

Cantabria to the Canary Islands: how cargo departs

There is no regular coastal shipping line from Santander to the Canary Islands with usable frequency. What we do is pick up in Cantabria, consolidate and ship via Valencia —the port with the most frequent services to the islands— or via Cádiz, which provides the shortest maritime transit. The total timeframe is around 9 to 13 days, counting the land leg.

It is two or three days more than departing from the Mediterranean, and in exchange the customer has a real date. Promising a direct departure from Santander sells better and is fulfilled worse.

Why the Canary Islands needs DUA even though it's Spain

Because the islands are within the customs territory of the Union but outside the common VAT territory. A shipment from Cantabria to the Canary Islands does not pay tariffs, but it does cross a fiscal border: export DUA at the port of shipment, import DUA upon arrival, VAT exemption at origin and settlement of IGIC —plus AIEM if the item requires it— at destination.

And if the cargo comes from the United Kingdom and its final destination is the Canary Islands, we chain the two operations in a single file: import here and departure to the Canary Islands afterwards. When handled by the same team, the declared values match each other and there is nothing to correct. The full framework is in our guide on customs between the Canary Islands and the Iberian Peninsula.

What we process and where we pick up

Pickup covers Santander and all of Cantabria —Torrelavega, Castro Urdiales, Laredo, Reinosa— and by road Palencia, Burgos and eastern Asturias. The cargo types:

• Ro-ro imports and vehicles from the United Kingdom, with its DUA, its classification and its proof of origin.
• Residential relocations to the islands, with accredited exemption: sworn declaration, inventory valued at customs value and proof of address.
• Capital goods and industrial goods, where the tariff item determines the destination AIEM.
• Commercial merchandise for commerce and hospitality in the Canary Islands.
• Return cargo from the Canary Islands to the Peninsula, with export DUA there and VAT on entry here unless exempt.

Timeframes from Cantabria to each island

Depending on the port of shipment that week, Valencia or Cádiz. Includes pickup and land leg:

Before confirming dates we verify the actual departure. If it doesn't fit with the move, we offer temporary storage at origin or destination instead of making up an arrival date.