Changes to Customs Declarations

Businesses involved in the import or export of goods to or from the UK will have made their customs declarations via a system known as CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight). This system is soon to be replaced with the new Customs Declaration Service (CDS).
 
If your business does not use an agent to deal with the declarations for you then you must ensure that you sign up for the new CDS in good time to allow for the declarations to continue smoothly. From 1 October 2022 the change will apply to all import declarations and from 1 April 2023 all export declarations must be on the CDS.
 
CDS is operating now and you do not have to wait until the end dates for CHIEF to move, with HMRC recommending early adoption. Details on how to register are available on the HMRC website at Customs Declaration Service. If you use an agent to deal with declarations you should check whether they have moved over to CDS. 
 
We are here to help, so please contact us if you have any queries or wish to discuss any of the above.