Customs Declaration Service deadline extended for exporters

CDS deadline extended for exporters

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has extended the deadline for export businesses to move over to the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) to make export declarations.

The previous deadline of 31 March 2023 has now been extended until 30 November 2023.

What is CDS?

CDS replaces CHIEF (Customs Handling Import and Export Freight) as the UK’s system that records the movement of goods by land, air, and sea. Exporters must use CDS to make export declarations for goods sent out of the UK, just as importers already do for import declarations.

Upgrading to CDS is mandatory to comply with the Northern Ireland Protocol. CDS has been running since 2018 and is a significant upgrade from the CHIEF system. The government believes that migration to CDS is critical to long-term trade. It has a more user-friendly interface and offers greater functionality and flexibility for future import and export improvements.

Sarah Hartley, Director of Border Change Delivery at HMRC said, “We have moved the deadline to enable us to spend more time working with industry in delivering and testing critical functionality as well as the support needed to help declarants move across to the new system.”

Get more information here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/customs-declaration-service-exporter-deadline-extended