Export Support and Grants

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the main government body supporting UK exporters. Its Export Support Service provides free advice and signposting through a network of International Trade Advisers (ITAs) based at Growth Hubs and via an online helpline. ITAs can help you assess your export readiness, identify target markets, and navigate regulations and tariffs in specific countries.

DBT also organises and part-funds trade missions — trips to overseas markets where UK businesses meet potential buyers, distributors, and partners. Participation costs are subsidised, and missions are organised around trade shows, sector events, and diplomatic visits. The GREAT campaign provides marketing support and access to buyer networks in key markets. For businesses with significant export ambitions, DBT can facilitate introductions to overseas trade offices and diplomatic networks.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) is the UK's export credit agency, helping UK exporters and overseas buyers access finance and insurance. It supports transactions that commercial banks and insurers will not finance. Key products for smaller exporters include:

The Export Development Guarantee enables banks to provide working capital loans to exporters at lower cost. The Bond Support Scheme helps exporters obtain performance bonds required by overseas buyers. The Trade Finance Scheme supports shorter-term export finance needs. UKEF's Direct Lending facility provides loans to overseas buyers to purchase UK goods and services. UKEF works with accredited brokers and banks — contact them via GOV.UK or your business bank to find out if your export transaction qualifies.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each have their own export support programmes. Scottish Development International (SDI), part of Scottish Enterprise, provides market entry grants, trade mission support, and inward investment promotion for Scottish businesses. The Internationalisation Fund in Wales (via Business Wales) provides grants of up to £10,000 for eligible Welsh businesses to develop international markets, covering activities such as overseas visits, translations, and market research.

Invest Northern Ireland provides export support and an Invest to Export programme that funds business development activity in target markets. All devolved bodies work in partnership with DBT and can make referrals to UKEF and central government trade mission programmes. If you are based in a devolved nation, contact your devolved export support body first as they often have more accessible and faster funding than central government schemes.

Leaving the EU's single market and customs union in January 2021 created new regulatory and documentation requirements for UK exporters selling to the EU — still the UK's largest trading partner. UK goods exported to the EU now require customs declarations, and businesses must understand rules of origin requirements to benefit from zero-tariff access under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). Rules of origin specify the proportion of a product's content that must originate in the UK for it to qualify for preferential tariffs — typically 50% or more of the product's value for manufactured goods, though rates vary significantly by sector.

Exporters must obtain proof of origin documentation — either a statement on origin made by an exporter with Registered Exporter (REX) status, or a movement certificate (EUR.1) issued by HMRC. Failure to correctly apply rules of origin means your EU customers will face standard (MFN) tariff rates rather than the zero-tariff rate, making your goods less competitive. DBT and the British Chambers of Commerce provide training on export documentation, and HMRC has a helpline for customs and origin queries.

Post-Brexit, several previously accessible EU export support mechanisms are no longer available to UK businesses, including direct access to EU export promotion programmes, the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) export tools, and seamless services exports under the single market. In their place, the government has pursued a programme of new free trade agreements (FTAs) — including deals with Australia, New Zealand, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). These agreements open new markets and may reduce tariffs for specific UK products. DBT publishes market access guidance for each country, and UK Export Finance provides country-risk assessments and finance solutions for markets where payment risks are elevated.

For services exporters — which make up the majority of UK export value — post-Brexit trade has created specific challenges around professional recognition, work visas, and data transfer. The UK and EU reached a data adequacy decision that allows data to flow freely, though this is subject to periodic review. Services businesses operating across borders should take legal advice specific to their sector on the post-Brexit regulatory position in each target market.