Smart Border UK - How the UK's Digital Border Works

What "smart border" means in the UK

"Smart border" is an informal term for an approach in which data about a shipment reaches the official systems before the goods arrive, rather than at the border crossing. The UK's Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is about simplifying and digitising border processes, and the government speaks of an ambition for a single data-exchange point (a Single Trade Window) - GOV.UK. For a business this means one thing: the data must be complete and consistent before the driver sets off.

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The parts of the system that affect your shipment

• ENS (entry summary declaration) - a safety and security declaration filed in Safety and Security GB before the goods arrive; the carrier is responsible for it, but an agent can file it too. Deadlines: at least 2 hours before arrival for roll-on roll-off ferries and at least 1 hour for Eurotunnel (GOV.UK). More: Safety and Security GB or ICS2.
• GVMS and GMR - a system in which the GMR links a vehicle to customs declarations; at ports that use GVMS the driver must hold a GMR before boarding. See what GVMS is and how it works and how to check GMR status.
• Import declaration in CDS - filed by the importer or an agent; it can be lodged before the goods arrive (pre-lodgement).
• BTOM controls - for food, plants and animals, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls are added, such as IPAFFS notifications. Overview: BTOM after Brexit.

Stages from notification to release

1. Establish who is the importer, exporter and customs representative - this determines who files what data.
2. File the ENS in S&S GB (or make sure the carrier does) and the import declaration in CDS.
3. Create the GMR in GVMS and give it to the driver.
4. On arrival the system checks the links; the goods are released or sent for a documentary or physical check.

The most common causes of delay

Inconsistent data between the invoice and the consignment note, an incorrect or outdated commodity code, a missing valid EORI number, an ENS not filed, and missing licences or certificates for regulated goods. The consequences of a missing ENS are covered in what happens if you don't file an ENS. A simple check before dispatch: goods, value, parties, documents.

Records and amendments

HMRC requires customs documents to be kept for 4 years and VAT records for at least 6 years (GOV.UK). Declarations are amended in CDS - in your software before release, by an application to HMRC after release. Agree the scope of the agent's authority (direct or indirect representation) in a contract before the first clearance.

Need help with pre-arrival data? Get in touch - Easy Clearance is a customs agency registered in CDS, with a UK EORI number.

Frequently asked questions