International trade

Exporting can be a great way to improve your businesses performance. There is a wealth of information and business support available for you which you should take advantage of before making a decision to export.

If you plan to start exporting, you’ll need to follow rules that depend on whether your goods or services are going to a country:

• in the EU
• outside the EU
• outside the EU via an EU country

You can use a commercial agent (export agent or overseas distributor) or a freight forwarder (freight forwarding is a service industry that involves moving goods around the world on behalf of importers and exporters) if you don’t want to deal with export procedures yourself.

If you are already exporting and would like to increase your export income there is tailored advice available and you can talk to an international trade expert adviser.

Click here to find out about all the free support from the Department for International Trade. Alternatively you can get in touch with the Growth Hub team who will be able to talk to you about your business goals and introduce you to a DIT adviser if that’s right for you.

See links at the bottom of the page for business support programmes that can help you export successfully.

Useful Resources

Gov.uk | Online exporting advice and guidance – https://www.gov.uk/browse/business/exports

Open to Export | Free export advice for international growth – https://opentoexport.com/

Export Trade Development Programme | A free programme of support helping local businesses in the South West region to boost their export sales – https://www.businesswest.co.uk/export/export-trade-development-programme

Export Britain | Online resource provided by the British Chambers of Commerce –  http://exportbritain.org.uk/