Traders and Intermediaries Panel Research Summary Report 2025
Research with UK traders and intermediaries to understand their experiences of completing customs declarations and their interaction with HMRC systems.
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In 2025, HMRC commissioned Ipsos to conduct research with UK businesses that trade or facilities trade with the European Union or Rest of World. The aim of the research was to understand how traders and customs intermediaries complete customs declarations, interact with HMRC systems, and manage key processes across their import and export activities.
The study explored a wide range of customs-related behaviours, including the types of declarations submitted, confidence in using the Customs Declaration Service, and experiences of providing or receiving information needed to complete declarations. It also examined awareness and use of Simplified Customs Declaration Process for both imports and exports.
Fieldwork took place between June and September 2025 and involved an initial recruitment survey of 1,606 businesses as well 583 follow-up interviews. Participants included self-declaring traders submitting declarations in-house, non-declaring traders who outsource their declarations, and customs intermediaries submitting declarations on behalf of clients.
The research provides insight into how businesses trade with the EU, the Rest of the World, and Northern Ireland, as well as how they use systems such as the Goods Vehicle Movement Service, New Computerised Transit System, and Trader Support Service. It also explores experiences of groupage transport, preferential tariffs, and overall trust in HMRC as the UK customs authority.