Coordination
Many departments and offices of the Velocity Interoperability Network have an interest in who and what crosses its boundary, but only one of them stands at the crossing point. The Borders Authority of the Velocity Interoperability Network carries out the check at the boundary on behalf of all of them. This page describes the Authority's duties in that role, the departments it acts for, and what happens when a check raises a matter that is for one of those departments to decide.
The arrangement was agreed during the transition period, from 10 August to 5 September 2026, and took effect with the Authority's establishment. Its purpose is stated simply: a traveller is checked once. Before the Authority existed, a person crossing at some points of the boundary might be asked for documents by a site guard, then by an officer of the member organisation, then by a customs officer; at other points there was no check at all. As each crossing passes to the Authority between 7 and 14 September 2026, the same check, carried out by one officer, applies there.
The Authority's duties. In coordinating checks at the boundary the Authority undertakes eight duties towards the departments and offices of the Network and towards travellers.
- Carry out the check once, on behalf of all
- At every crossing point the Authority carries out a single check on each person and each consignment, applying the requirements of every department and office with an interest at the boundary. No department stations its own officers at a crossing to repeat a check the Authority has made.
- Apply the standards set by others
- The Authority applies the identity document standards of the Immigration Department, the declaration rules of the Customs Service, the permit requirements of the departments concerned and the traffic arrangements of the Transport Department. It does not vary those standards and it does not set its own.
- Refer what it cannot decide
- Where a check raises a matter that is for a department to decide, such as a permit, a disputed document or a consignment the Customs Service wishes to examine, the Authority refers the matter to that department, holds the person or goods only for as long as the referral requires, and tells the traveller what has been referred and to whom.
- Keep the single register
- The Authority maintains the register of crossing points and their hours, the register of boundary sections and the record of every crossing. Departments and offices draw on these registers rather than keeping their own.
- Transmit declarations and records
- Declarations of goods received at a crossing are transmitted to the Customs Service on the day they are made. Records of crossings by persons are held by the Authority and made available to the Immigration Department and the Police Department on request under the arrangements agreed with each.
- Publish notices before changes take effect
- Closures, changes of hours and works affecting a crossing are agreed with the Transport Department and, at Southbank Quay, with the Maritime Authority and the Ports Authority, and are published as notices before they take effect wherever possible.
- Convene the Boundary Coordination Board
- The Authority convenes a fortnightly board of the departments and offices with responsibilities at the boundary. The board settles matters of procedure, reviews referrals and agrees the notices and works for the following period.
- Report on the boundary
- The Authority publishes quarterly statistics on crossings, declarations, refusals and check durations, and reports the condition of the perimeter to the Interior Department and the Network annually.
Departments and offices with responsibilities at the boundary. The table below records the departments and offices whose rules the Authority applies, the matters each is responsible for and the kinds of referral each receives from the crossing points. Each has a duty officer available to the Authority during the opening hours of every crossing.
| Department or office | Responsible for | Referrals received |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration Department | Standards for identity documents and permits; decisions on admission | Disputed or unaccepted documents; travellers without a permit |
| Customs Service | Rules on the declaration of goods; examination of consignments | Consignments selected for examination; disputed declarations |
| Transport Department | Approach roads, signage and traffic arrangements at road crossings | Lane closures; diversions during works |
| Maritime Authority and Ports Authority | Berthing, vessel clearance and cargo handling at Southbank Quay | Vessel arrivals outside the published schedule; cargo held on the quay |
| Police Department | Offences at the boundary; persons sought by the Department | Suspected offences; refusal to comply with a check |
| Agriculture Department and Food Standards Office | Certificates for animals, plants and food carried across the boundary | Animals or plants without a certificate; food consignments |
| Interior Department | Oversight of the perimeter and of the Authority's works programme | Damage to the perimeter; annual condition report |
How a referral works. Most checks are completed by the officer at the crossing without reference to anyone. Where a referral is needed, the steps below apply.
Step 1: The officer identifies the matter
During the check the officer establishes that a decision is needed which the Authority cannot make: for example, a document that does not meet the accepted standard, or a consignment that the Customs Service has asked to examine.
Step 2: The traveller is told what is being referred
The officer tells the traveller which department the matter has been referred to, why, and how long a decision is normally expected to take. The traveller is directed to the secondary inspection area, or to the holding area for goods, and is not required to leave the crossing.
Step 3: The department decides
The referral is sent to the department's duty officer, who decides the matter or asks for further information. Departments have undertaken to decide routine referrals within two hours during a crossing's opening hours.
Step 4: The Authority acts on the decision
The officer admits the person or goods, refuses them, or applies any condition the department has set, and records the decision against the crossing. The traveller is given the reference of the referral so that the department can be written to about it.
The Boundary Coordination Board. The Authority convenes the board every second Tuesday; its first meeting is on 15 September 2026. The board is chaired by the Director of the Authority and attended by a representative of each department and office in the table above. It reviews the referrals of the previous fortnight, settles questions of procedure that have arisen at the crossings, and agrees the notices and works to be published for the period ahead. A summary of each meeting is published in the Newsroom.
Departments and offices wishing to raise a matter with the Authority, and travellers with a question about a referral, may write to contact@borders.gov.vin, quoting the referral reference where there is one. For the rules on goods applied at the boundary, see Carrying Goods; for what to expect at a check, see Crossings.