{"id":7108,"date":"2019-12-11T16:48:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T16:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=7108"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:20:12","slug":"data-localisation-trading-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/data-localisation-trading-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"How to deal with data localisation when trading abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Strategy, Legal &amp; Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to deal with data localisation when trading abroad\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-12-11T16:48:18+00:00\">11 December, 2019<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to deal with data localisation when trading abroad\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/data-localisation-trading-abroad\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/ashleyhindsmansage\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Ashley-Thompson-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Ashley Thompson\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Ashley-Thompson-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Ashley-Thompson.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Ashley Thompson<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Business today is powered by data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As businesses look to expand internationally, data localisation can become a barrier or an additional cost as you must comply with each country&#8217;s legislation. Understanding what is required and factoring it into business processes can be complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article explains the fundamentals of data localisation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What it means and why it is essential to international trade<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How data protection laws impact this type of legislation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Which countries have this legislation and what they require<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How it will evolve in the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-data-localisation\">What is data localisation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a country&#8217;s legal requirement for organisations that either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mandates the organisation to retain a copy of data about a nation&#8217;s citizens or businesses and activities within the nation&#8217;s jurisdiction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prevents the data from being stored or processed outside of that jurisdiction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are different intents and purposes for each country that enforces this type of legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the most common reason is to ensure that various government or legislative departments can gain access to specific information without needing to go through legal procedures or courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, there is legislation that requires the storage of tax-relevant data in Germany (or to get organisation-specific approval with an alternative location and jurisdiction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The intent is to keep any tax-relevant information within the tax authority&#8217;s reach, and where legal procedures of the jurisdiction are understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the German tax office wants to launch a detailed investigation into potential tax irregularities and the data isn&#8217;t locally available, it may first need to apply for permission from a domestic court to look at that data and not all countries will grant access to foreign tax authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany&#8217;s data localisation law ensures the government can get access to relevant data without needing to understand how different legal systems or courts operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data localisation is a part of the broader concept of data sovereignty\u2014the idea that data is subject to the laws, governance and protection of the nation in which the individuals or organisations it relates to, are located, legally reside, or where the transaction legally happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As cloud computing becomes more prevalent and concepts of location become more blurred, an increasing number of countries are looking at and legislating for data sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The European Union&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/implementing-gdpr\/\">GDPR<\/a> is an example of the exercise of data sovereignty to protect its citizens&#8217; and residents&#8217; personal data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the UN, since November 2019, 107 jurisdictions worldwide had put legislation in place to secure the protection of data and privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"# gate-2bbb8114-16b1-4518-9f6e-3a7dfb785d23\">Download your free copy of International trade: A guide to managing the economic climate<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-concerns-with-international-trade-and-data-localisation\">Concerns with international trade and data localisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Data localisation is considered a non-tariff barrier by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wto.org\/english\/thewto_e\/whatis_e\/tif_e\/agrm9_e.htm\">World Trade Organisation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With hundreds of regulations in place and more nations planning to add to the list in the future, data localisation can be complicated to navigate for multinational businesses and those preparing for expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Dealing with data localisation is a real pain to everybody involved,&#8221; says Adam Prince, Sage VP of product management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;If you want the benefits of central processing of data, but also need to retain local copies for legal reasons, you&#8217;ve got to create a duplicate copy of data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And then you&#8217;ve got to cover the costs of implementing the technologies or procedures to maintain that copy as up to date as required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve lost the single source of truth, which is the real challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;If you want to trade in a jurisdiction that operates with data localisation, you need to be aware of what the law is so that you can store a copy of the corporate data slice within the sovereignty or jurisdiction where you&#8217;re trading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;For example, if you want to sell in Russia and you use Salesforce, whose servers are in America, you have to somehow keep a copy of that data accessible to the Russian authorities, or run all your data through a Russian server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The latter option complicates things if you&#8217;re a US company, given the political differences and levels of distrust that unfortunately exist.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data localisation also has cost implications. Because managing laws in different nations can be convoluted, Prince suggests hiring a legal expert with qualifications recognised by the regions in which you plan to trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He adds: &#8220;Accidental trade can be a serious risk. If you aren&#8217;t aware of the applicable obligations, a profitable transaction can easily turn unprofitable once you add up any penalties.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Scale your business internationally<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Want to trade internationally? We\u2019re here to help you succeed with the latest technology, research and tips to expand your business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/international-trade-hub\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-6877\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Find out more<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1213\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/07\/EliteCV_FY19_Accounting_6-1213x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/07\/EliteCV_FY19_Accounting_6-1213x810.jpg 1213w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-data-localisation-and-data-protection-laws\">Data localisation and data protection laws<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After data localisation, you must understand and adhere to relevant personal data or privacy laws of the nation, such as notifying the user of how the information will be used and obtaining their consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-data-localisation-into-operations\">Building data localisation into operations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The best approach when expanding into a new territory is to have robust procedures in place beforehand to investigate both the benefits and any legal obligation such as any data localisation laws that may exist. Then you can build the costs and procedures to address any legal requirements into your operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In some instances, you may be eligible for an exemption from data localisation requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Germany, for example, you can send a request to the tax office informing them that you are using cloud software hosted in the UK and request to have it remain there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They will determine the risk level and either deny or grant your exemption. Exemptions aren&#8217;t the norm and are influenced heavily by politics and foreign relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-future-implications-for-data-localisation-and-international-trade\">Future implications for data localisation and international trade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In January 2019, the EU and 49 other members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) began negotiations to place global rules on e-commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These rules would optimise opportunities within <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/international-trade-hub\/\">international trade<\/a> and eliminate the challenges of navigating the patchwork of legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cecilia Malmstr\u00f6m, the EU Commissioner for Trade, <a href=\"http:\/\/trade.ec.europa.eu\/doclib\/press\/index.cfm?id=1974\">told the European Commission<\/a>: &#8220;It is encouraging to see so many partners joining this important trade initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Electronic commerce is a reality in most corners of the world, so we owe it to our citizens and companies to provide a predictable, effective and safe online environment for trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We look forward to working with all interested WTO members, flexibly and pragmatically, to create a truly comprehensive and ambitious set of rules.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These negotiations\u2014formally known as the Joint State Initiative on Electronic Commerce\u2014are the participating members alerting the WTO that data localisation is a barrier to trade and the initial phase of the ultimate recommendation to update the somewhat dated rules of WTO trade for electronic commerce and cross-border data flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These negotiations can take decades but if agreed upon, citizens and organisations can engage and trade globally with less friction, creating a faster pathway to profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the significant concerns that governments have is that the rules may cede control of local data, which could encourage organisations operating in jurisdictions outside of their primary base to shield things that could be unlawful or even illegal and which the governments have no way of proving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"# gate-2bbb8114-16b1-4518-9f6e-3a7dfb785d23\">Download your free copy of International trade: A guide to managing the economic climate<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-steps-to-take-now\">Steps to take now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking to trade internationally, data localisation can be broken down into four steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Investigate local data legislation laws as part of your due diligence. Confirm if the market you are entering requires data localisation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analyse how this legislation will impact your operations processes. What will these requirements mean for how you interact with your customers? How will this impact your workflows?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Invest in a legal expert to help you mitigate risks and non-compliance. This person should be certified within the jurisdiction you are entering. Their knowledge of the legislation can help you avoid unnecessary pitfalls.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Embed procedures to meet data localisation compliance needed to both reduce costs but also take advantage of any opportunities that may arise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Investing in a legal adviser to help you navigate through the data localisation components of international trade is critical. Having this role filled will save you time from the onset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another wise preliminary investment is in trade-enabling tools that allow you to easily keep up with legislation in multiple jurisdictions from one central place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sage partnered with YouGov to research current and planned activity in trade. The results show that of the 12 countries surveyed, 37% use an ecommerce tool to facilitate international trade and 33% use a cloud-based tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, 38% see smart technology as the future for dealing with international trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making this investment early on will prepare your organisation for the new ways you can use smart data for better business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">International trade: A guide to mastering the economic climate<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Read this guide to learn how technology is transforming the nature of international trade and how you can leverage the changes driven by it to give your business a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-2bbb8114-16b1-4518-9f6e-3a7dfb785d23\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/09\/Afianza-07_ES_BB_2018_33558-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/09\/Afianza-07_ES_BB_2018_33558-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/international-trading\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInternational trading\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-8450 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountant-accounting tag-brexit-business tag-international-trading tag-need-to-know tag-tax tag-vat business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-643927002-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-643927002-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-643927002-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-643927002-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2024-02-20T16:00:09+00:00\">20 February, 2024<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/postponed-vat-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPostponed VAT accounting: How it works for businesses importing goods into the UK\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tPostponed VAT accounting means business admin and tax must be done differently when dealing with importing. Here&#8217;s what you need to know.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-10499 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountant-tax tag-brexit-business tag-international-trading business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/new-rules-businesses-importing-goods-eu\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-1014154044-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-1014154044-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-1014154044-768x516.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-1014154044-1207x810.jpg 1207w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2022-01-02T11:01:03+00:00\">2 January, 2022<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tNew rules for businesses importing goods from the EU\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-8507 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-free-guides-templates category-strategy-legal-operations tag-brexit-business tag-international-trading tag-need-to-know business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-after-brexit\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/SeattleIndianHealthBoard_2019_Intacct_0768-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/SeattleIndianHealthBoard_2019_Intacct_0768-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/SeattleIndianHealthBoard_2019_Intacct_0768-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/SeattleIndianHealthBoard_2019_Intacct_0768-1080x810.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.988 2.989a.75.75 0 0 0-.739.761v10.689l-1.72-1.72a.75.75 0 0 0-.957-.099.75.75 0 0 0-.315.776c.031.146.104.28.211.384l3 3a.75.75 0 0 0 1.06 0l3-3a.76.76 0 0 0 .231-.533.74.74 0 0 0-.22-.538q-.108-.106-.247-.164c-.139-.058-.191-.057-.291-.056s-.198.022-.29.061-.174.097-.243.169l-1.72 1.72V3.75a.76.76 0 0 0-.22-.541.76.76 0 0 0-.542-.22zM5.75 8.5C4.24 8.5 3 9.74 3 11.25v7C3 19.76 4.24 21 5.75 21h12.5c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75v-7c0-1.51-1.24-2.75-2.75-2.75h-3a.76.76 0 0 0-.537.216.74.74 0 0 0-.223.535.76.76 0 0 0 .223.535.74.74 0 0 0 .537.216h3c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v7a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25H5.75a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25-1.25v-7c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25h3a.76.76 0 0 0 .537-.216.74.74 0 0 0 .223-.535.76.76 0 0 0-.223-.535.75.75 0 0 0-.537-.216z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2021-02-09T10:00:58+00:00\">9 February, 2021<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">2 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tBusiness after Brexit: What businesses need to do now\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-5482 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-brexit-business tag-international-trading business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-will-brexit-affect-businesses\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-537360382-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-537360382-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-537360382-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-537360382-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2021-01-27T08:15:52+00:00\">27 January, 2021<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow will Brexit affect businesses? 14 things you need to know\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-6903 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountant-accounting tag-brexit-business tag-international-trading tag-need-to-know tag-vat business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/customs-and-vat-after-brexit\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-705002845_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-705002845_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-705002845_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-705002845_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2021-01-25T07:30:49+00:00\">25 January, 2021<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tCustoms and VAT after Brexit: What happens for UK businesses?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>International trade can make data localisation a barrier and an extra cost. This article explains the fundamentals of how to navigate data sovereignty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":281,"featured_media":6932,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[20],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[68,70,71],"imagine_tag":[165,96],"coauthors":[354],"class_list":["post-7108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategy-legal-operations","tag-international-trading","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Ashley Thompson","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/10\/SAGE-NANAIMO-S-120_All-Uses.jpg","imagine_tags":{"165":"Medium business trade","96":"Medium businesses"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/281"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/6932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7108"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}