Everything you need to know about exporting for small businesses

Exporting can offer great benefits to small and medium sized businesses based in the UK. It’s a market worth £508 billion to the UK economy, with 10% of the UK’s small businesses already trading abroad.

Benefits include:

• A wider customer base, potentially leading to greater sales and profits
• More efficient use of capacity, particularly in manufacturing businesses
• A showcase for new and innovative products and services that can boost your reputation
• Greater resilience and less risk from falling sales due to economic factors in individual countries or markets

We’ve compiled a list of useful resources and organisations that can help you on your export journey:

• Department for International Trade
  A range of support for small businesses, a lot of which is free. From local trade experts, to market research and international networking opportunities.
• Exporting country guides
  Useful facts and figures to help you decide which country to export to.
• Live export opportunities
  See what opportunities already exist for your business, trade or industry. Just enter the relevant information into the search box on the page.
• Department for International Trade YouTube channel
  A Government department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy, and assists overseas companies to bring their high-quality investment to the UK.
• Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS)
  A service to help you access the right international contacts or partners, and find the best way to do business in your chosen market.
• Export Marketing Research scheme (EMRS)
  Free independent advice on how to carry out market research

Information on export licensing

Certain goods need a license before they can be exported. This depends on the type of goods, where they are going to and what they’re going to be used for.

The following sites provide guidance on what goods are controlled and need a licence, how to apply and your responsibilities for complying with the terms of a licence.

• HM Revenue and Customs
  Find guides on export licenses, taxes, rates of exchange etc
• UK Government’s export control website
  Find out if you need an export license, and if so, which type and how to apply for it.
• Intellectual Property How to protect your intellectual property when trading abroad
• The World Bank guide to the easiest places to do business around the world
  The World Bank ranks countries according to the ease of doing business every year. Rankings are based on scores on 10 topics ranging from getting credit to dealing with permits and paying taxes.
• UK Foreign Office travel advice
  Latest travel advice by country including safety and security, entry requirements, travel warnings and health.
• Institute of translation and interpreting A professional association representing translators and interpreters in the United Kingdom.