Could your clients prove their exports left the country 6 months ago?
Port closes the export compliance gap, and gives you a new revenue line.
Book a 15-Minute demo
The records your clients think someone else is keeping
Your exporting clients rely on their carrier to hold proof that goods left the UK. Most carriers, including the large ones like UPS and DHL, don’t retain that documentation beyond six months.
HMRC can request proof of export going back four years. That’s a three-and-a-half-year gap where your client has no records and no way to reconstruct them. Most businesses don’t find out until someone asks for the paperwork.
6 mth
Typical carrier record retention
4 yr
HMRC can request proof of export
3.5 yr
Gap with no records and
no way to reconstruct
When the records aren't there
Retrospective VAT liability
If an exporter can’t prove goods left the UK, HMRC can disallow the VAT zero-rating. VAT becomes payable on every export that can’t be evidenced. For a business exporting regularly, that adds up fast.
Penalties and interest
HMRC can apply penalties for careless or deliberate inaccuracies, plus interest on unpaid VAT from the date it was originally due.
The accountant's exposure
If an exporting client gets caught without records, the question they’ll ask is: “Why didn’t someone tell me I needed to keep these?” That question is usually aimed at their accountant.
PORT fixes this
Port lets UK businesses file their own export customs declarations through a simple online form with a direct digital link to HMRC. Every declaration is timestamped, stored permanently, and searchable. The compliance record builds itself as part of the client’s normal workflow.
Simple 4-step form
Your clients file their own export customs declarations online. No freight forwarder, no customs broker, no specialist knowledge needed. Any staff member can do it.
Direct HMRC link
Declarations go straight to HMRC through a live digital connection. No manual uploads, no waiting around.
Permanent record
Every declaration is stored and searchable by date, destination, or product. The audit trail your client needs for a VAT inspection, built automatically.
Flat fee, no subscription
Clients pay per declaration. No licence fees, no monthly commitments. Free to create an account.
Optional expert review
If the client wants a second pair of eyes on a declaration before submitting, a compliance expert can review it for a small additional fee.
What's in it for you
Think of it the way you think about cloud accounting. You don’t do the client’s bookkeeping for them. You set them up on a system that captures everything as it happens, so the records are there when you need them. Same principle, applied to export compliance.
Port gives you a new revenue line, a proactive conversation with every exporting client, and a compliance risk taken off your list.
1
Identify the gap
Ask your exporting clients whether they can produce proof of export going back four years. The answer tells you everything you need to know.
2
Recommend Port
Position Port as the system that closes the compliance gap. The client uses it day-to-day. You have peace of mind that the records exist.
3
Charge for the setup
The initial configuration is a consultancy engagement you can bill for: EORI number, VAT number, power of attorney, account setup. A new revenue line built on advice you’d be giving anyway.
4
No ongoing admin
Once the client is set up, Port runs without your involvement. You don’t need to touch it. The records are just there when you need them.
Who’s behind PORT?
Port is powered by ExportDocuments.co.uk, a trade name of Pincvision UK Ltd. Pincvision is a Dutch compliance company with over two decades of experience in trade compliance and export documentation across Europe. They hold Authorised Economic Operator status, recognised by HMRC as meeting the highest standards of customs compliance and security.
20+
Years in trade compliance
9.2
Review score on Kiyoh
Direct
Digital link to HMRC
EU-based
Support team available by phone & email
15 minutes is enough
If you have clients who export from the UK, there’s a good chance they have a compliance gap they don’t know about. A short call is enough to walk through how PORT works, what the setup involves, and whether it makes sense for your client base.
No pressure, no pitch. Just a conversation about a risk that’s probably sitting in your client list right now.
Lee McMahon
MD, ExportDocuments.co.uk
