Post-Brexit Trade and Export Grants

UK Export Finance (UKEF) is the UK's export credit agency, part of the Department for Business and Trade. It provides financial products to help UK businesses win export contracts, fulfil orders, and protect against non-payment by overseas buyers. UKEF's products fill gaps in the commercial finance market — where banks or insurers are unwilling to provide cover for export transactions, UKEF may step in.

Key UKEF products include:

• Export Working Capital Scheme: Provides a government guarantee to a bank, enabling it to offer a working capital facility (overdraft or revolving credit) specifically for export contracts. This helps businesses finance the gap between receiving an export order and being paid.
• General Export Facility: A flexible, multi-contract guarantee for businesses with an ongoing export programme — not tied to specific contracts.
• Buyer Credit Facility: Enables an overseas buyer to take out a loan (backed by UKEF) to pay a UK exporter — useful for large capital goods exports where the buyer needs extended payment terms.
• Export Insurance Policy: Protects against non-payment by overseas buyers, political risk, and certain commercial risks not covered by the private market.

UKEF support is arranged through commercial banks (HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, and others) rather than directly. To access it, speak with your business bank's trade finance team and ask about UKEF-backed products. UKEF also has direct access channels for businesses that cannot get a response through their bank. There is no minimum turnover to access UKEF — it supports businesses of all sizes including SMEs.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) — formerly the Department for International Trade (DIT) — is the primary government body for supporting UK exporters. Its main free services include:

• International Trade Advisers (ITAs): DBT employs a network of specialist trade advisers across England who provide free or subsidised advice to eligible businesses on entering new export markets. They can help with market research, finding overseas partners, regulatory requirements, and accessing further support. Contact your regional DBT team or Business Growth Hub to be assigned an adviser.
• Export Academy: A free online training programme consisting of short modules covering export fundamentals — market research, pricing for export, logistics and customs, intellectual property, and more. Suitable for businesses new to exporting or exploring their first overseas market. Available via gov.uk/exportacademy.
• Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS): A paid service (with some subsidy available) where DBT staff in overseas posts conduct bespoke market research, identify potential buyers or distributors, and set up business meetings. Particularly useful for businesses entering markets without existing contacts.

DBT also maintains the great.gov.uk platform, which aggregates export opportunities, market guides, and funding information for exporters. Registering on great.gov.uk gives access to personalised opportunity alerts and the ability to connect with DBT's trade services.

The Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) provides grants to UK businesses to part-fund attendance at approved overseas trade shows. The aim is to help SMEs develop their international presence and generate export leads at events they might not otherwise be able to afford. TAP grants are typically administered through UK trade associations, which organise group stands at overseas shows and distribute the available funding to participating businesses.

TAP grants cover a contribution towards stand costs, registration fees, and sometimes logistics. The level of grant varies by show and trade association. To access TAP funding, check whether your industry trade association participates in TAP and whether they are organising a group stand at a show relevant to your market. The Department for Business and Trade publishes a list of approved TAP events on its website.

In addition to TAP, some sector-specific export programmes provide additional funding for tradeshows and market visits. For example, the UK Creative Content Export Programmes support content businesses attending international content markets such as MIPCOM or the London Book Fair's international rights events. The Food is GREAT campaign supports UK food and drink exporters at international shows.

Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland businesses may access equivalent or additional export event support through Scottish Development International, Business Wales/International Trade Wales, and Invest Northern Ireland respectively — and should check what devolved support is available in addition to DBT programmes.

Since leaving the EU's single market and customs union, the UK has negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs) with over 70 countries, including comprehensive deals with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and the CPTPP group of Pacific nations. The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) provides tariff-free access to EU markets for goods meeting UK or EU origin rules, though significant non-tariff barriers (customs declarations, regulatory checks, rules of origin requirements) now apply compared with the pre-Brexit single market.

For exporters, the practical implications of post-Brexit trade include:

• Goods exported to the EU now require export declarations and the EU importer must submit an import declaration — this has added costs and administrative burden for regular EU exporters
• Services exports to the EU are covered by individual country rules rather than a single EU framework, making professional services (legal, financial, architecture) more complex to provide cross-border
• New FTAs with non-EU countries offer reduced tariffs for qualifying goods — but rules of origin requirements mean that goods must contain sufficient UK content to benefit

The DBT's Market Access Database and the UK Global Tariff tool on GOV.UK help exporters identify applicable tariff rates and trade agreement benefits for specific product-country combinations. For complex export structures, engaging a specialist customs agent or trade adviser can prevent costly errors in declarations and origin claims.