How the system processes the movement of goods
Information about how the system processes the movement of goods.
When goods move into Great Britain or Northern Ireland through ports that use Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), the evidence of a pre-lodged declaration must be included in the form of a goods movement reference (GMR). Prior to crossing, at check-in, only movements with a valid GMR will be allowed to board a vessel.
Following boarding and upon embarkation, GVMS will trigger the automatic ‘arrival’ of any customs declarations within the Customs Declaration System (CDS). The arrival message is a notification to HMRC which indicates that the goods are being imported into the UK.
Checks are carried out during the crossing and will notify the haulier if any inspection is required. This notification will be issued to the GMR creator (haulier), drivers, carriers and ports. The status of a GMR can be checked prior to disembarking on the service. Find out more at check if you need to report for an inspection.
Drivers who are customs cleared can proceed to their final destination. The status of the GMR will show ‘complete’.
Drivers who are flagged for an inspection will need to proceed for checks (either in the port or at an Inland Border Facility). The GMR will show a status of ‘Embarked’ and the inspection portal will show the addresses in which the driver will need to report to for inspection. A GMR can be held for more than one check, such as DEFRA and Customs, and will show the location which should be attended first.
When goods move out of Great Britain or Northern Ireland and require an export declaration, different processes occur depending on the type of export location.
For goods moving through arrived export ports, once a Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) has been obtained and received permission to Progress (P2P), the DUCR can be added to the GMR.
GVMS will validate each DUCR that is entered onto the GMR and flag any DUCRs that do not have P2P status. The haulier will be advised not to allow the driver to proceed to port until the GMR is in an ‘open’ state.
Hauliers are notified if an inspection is required before check-in. The driver will need to report for inspection prior to check-in.
Following check-in, the vehicle is loaded onto the vessel. Once the crossing has embarked, this will trigger the departure message within CDS.
For goods moving through standard export ports, once a DUCR has been obtained for a pre-lodged export, this can be added into a GMR.
Upon check-in, GVMS will validate the GMR and trigger the arrival of the declaration within CDS. At this point the risking takes place and if an inspection is required it will be communicated to the carrier. The carrier will direct drivers who require inspections to complete the check before boarding. Once embarked this will trigger the departure message within CDS.
HMRC will reject requests to check-in a GMR if a request for an inspection is ignored.