Guidance

Making an export declaration using a pre-shipment advice

Find out how to use the simplified declaration procedure when exporting goods from the UK.

You must be authorised to use simplified procedures. When authorised, you can declare your goods using pre-shipment advice.

Pre-shipment advice is referred to as a simplified declaration in the Customs Declaration Service.

Before you submit

If the goods are leaving from a location that needs your export declaration to be submitted as ‘arrived’, you’ll need to submit the declaration before the goods start their journey.

If the goods are leaving from any other location, the declaration should be submitted as pre-lodged. This means the declaration must be submitted before the goods are presented to customs at the UK border.

What you’ll need

The declaration will need to include the:

You also need to provide information like:

  • the departure point and destination
  • the consignee and consignor
  • the type, amount and packaging of your goods
  • the transport methods and costs
  • currencies and valuation methods

How to submit

You can send your declaration online.

You can also use commercial software to submit your declaration.

You need to present the declaration at UK ports or airports, also known as ‘the frontier’.

Find out what boxes you need to complete if you’re using the Customs Declaration Service.

When you are completing the declaration, you should also read either the:

Presenting your goods at the frontier

Normally your carrier or loader at the port will present the goods to customs. You’ll need to check your arrival and departure messages are correct, so that the goods can be cleared for export. Once they have permission to progress, they’ll load the goods and update the declaration.

After you submit

HMRC will need to be told the goods have left the UK. This is known as a ‘departure message’.

For locations using an inventory linked system or the goods vehicle movement service, this will be done automatically by the systems at the point of departure.

If you export from a location which does not have an inventory linked system and an approved loader is not available at the point of departure, you’ll need to report to HMRC when your goods are presented at the UK port of departure and when the goods have left the UK.

You must submit an export supplementary declaration within 14 days of the departure of your goods.

Published 5 November 2019
Last updated 4 March 2024 + show all updates
  1. More information has been added about how to submit your export declaration.

  2. Information about how to submit the declaration, including which guidance you should read when you're submitting it to help you complete it, has been updated.

  3. From 1 January 2022, the locations where you will need to submit an arrived export declaration, or a pre-lodged export declaration have changed. From 1 January 2022 a departure message will be a legal requirement for all exports.

  4. Details of how to submit an arrived export declaration has been added to the 'before you submit' section.

  5. Guidance has been updated in the 'After you submit' section, to say you may need to complete a C1602 form to confirm manually to HMRC that the excise duty suspended goods have left the UK.

  6. This page has been updated because the Brexit transition period has ended.

  7. This page has been updated with information for 1 January 2021.

  8. First published.