How to take control of your UK customs declarations with technology

As this next chapter in EU-EK trade relations evolves, significant changes are being felt across the supply chain by importers and exporters, including what it really means to no longer have unlimited market access rights across the EU.  

And there’s no denying that UK traders now face a significant increase in the volume and complexity of customs declarations and safety and security filings. For instance, the UK Road Haulage Association has warned that the number of declaration forms for tariffs alone will skyrocket from 50 million a year to more than 200 million. 

Securing customs clearance is an inevitable process, but it doesn’t have to be a complex one. 

There’s a lot of new rules around producing declarations, all of which aren’t negotiable. And 99.9% complete is not good enough – it’s either correct or incorrect.   

If you’re used to relying on multiple systems and databases to manage your import and export processes, it’s likely your operators are constantly re-entering data, which is time-intensive and error prone.   

What’s more, this disparate system approach can limit your visibility, potentially increasing costs and resulting in late or lost freight that doesn’t adhere to EU-UK TCA rules.   

CargoWise is a single-platform software solution that shares customs entry data across your operations and network of partners, allowing you to enter data once, then transfer it to a new entry automatically, any time and from anywhere.  

From deep integrations to shared data across your logistics operations, here’s 10 simple ways CargoWise can help you take the complexity out of UK customs compliance.  

1. Whether it is import, export or ex-warehouse, when forwarding a consignment you can use the already entered shipment details to process the customs entries, significantly reducing the requirement to re-enter complex data.

2. You can import supplier invoice details quickly and easily, in a variety of file formats, so operators no longer need to manually capture this data and can instead use information received from the supplier. 

3. You are also able to store harmonised tariff codes in the database and match these to a customer’s product code. This makes it much easier to identify the correct tariff heading for any item listed on the invoice.  

4. You can submit declarations quickly through the various community system providers that directly interact with HMRC systems, including CNS, MCP, CCS-UK, Pentant or directly to NES.  

5. Data entry wizards in the system are a great way to speed up your processing time – from a simplified pop-up for CFSP entries, to allowing your staff to create the declaration directly onto the SAD/H form.  

6. At any stage, partially completed customs entries can be saved for processing later. This avoids wasted time and increases your efficiency by ensuring no data is lost and your operators don't have to restart the process from scratch. 

7. Submitting the entry to CDS/CHIEF is fast and efficient, and a full audit trail of any submission, amendment or customs acknowledgement is visible inside the declaration itself. 

8. If you do get a rejection from CDS/CHIEF, CargoWise has a simple error-code guidance, helping your staff remedy the problem and resubmit the declaration.  

9. Upon CDS/CHIEF acceptance, the Entry Print will be added to the eDocs library. in CargoWise Utilising powerful workflow tools in the system, this document or a simple email update can be sent to any relevant party, keeping everybody informed on its status.  

10. CargoWise also allows multiple entries to be generated per job when the entry instructions are selected. This ensures that all data and customs processing requirements use the same shared information, and that all associated customs entries are tied to one operational record. 

Looking to accelerate the speed and accuracy of your customs clearance processes? Create, manage and clear your import and export customs declarations in CargoWise. Learn more

Need help optimising your productivity with CargoWise? Our global CargoWise Partner network helps customers of all sizes implement and configure CargoWise to suit your business needs. Find out how