T1 transit document – moving goods from the UK to the EU

What a T1 is and when you need one

A T1 is a transit declaration for non-Union goods moving under common transit (the Common Transit Convention, CTC), to which the UK is a party. Since 1 January 2021, goods leaving GB for the EU are non-Union goods, so without transit they would have to be import-cleared at the first EU port (Calais or Rotterdam, for example). Under a T1 the lorry travels under customs control all the way to the office of destination, where import clearance takes place.

A T1 is typically used by:

• businesses shipping goods from the UK to Poland or another EU country that want import clearance at destination rather than at the port of entry,
• hauliers and forwarders running UK–Poland road freight via Dover, the Channel Tunnel or North Sea ferries,
• companies and private individuals moving machinery, vehicles or equipment bought in the UK.

T2 is used for goods with Union status moving through a third country – a different scenario from a typical export from the UK.

How T1 transit from the UK works

1. Declaration at the UK office of departure. Transit is opened in NCTS at a UK office of departure or at an authorised consignor's premises. An export declaration in CDS is a separate requirement.
2. Guarantee. The holder of the transit procedure must provide a guarantee covering potential duty and VAT during the movement. We check whose guarantee will be used.
3. MRN and GMR. Once accepted, the declaration gets an MRN, which the driver adds to the GMR in GVMS – without it the lorry cannot board.
4. Movement within the time limit. The goods must reach the office of destination within the prescribed time, with seals intact.
5. Closing the T1 at destination. The office of destination ends the transit and the goods are entered for import. In Poland we handle import clearance through our sister brand easyclearance.pl.

NCTS Phase 6 has been live in the UK since 1 June 2026 – see NCTS Phase 6 and T1 transit. For the full route, read T1 transit from the UK to Poland step by step.

What our T1 service covers

• checking the invoice, packing list and commodity codes (NCTS requires at least a 6-digit HS code for every item),
• preparing and submitting the T1 in the UK NCTS and, where needed, the export declaration in CDS,
• passing the MRN to the driver or haulier for the GMR,
• helping make sure the movement is discharged and dealing with T1s that have not been closed.

What we need from you

• commercial invoice and packing list (weights, number of packages),
• EORI numbers of the consignor and consignee,
• transport details: haulier, vehicle registration, route and departure date,
• the office of destination in the EU (or details of the agent handling import).

The full checklist is in What documents are needed for T1. We are a customs agency registered in CDS with a UK EORI number, working in English and Polish.

Shipping from the UK in the next few days? Contact us or send your documents on WhatsApp and we will tell you what is missing before the T1 can be opened.