Official Statistics

Customs declarants and declaration volumes for international trade in 2023: methodology notes

Published 31 May 2024

Key data notes and understanding

The following details how the underlying data has been processed to produce the figures provided in this release:

Data has been sourced from both Customs Declaration Service (CDS) and Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF), as of 27 March 2024.

Declaration volumes have been rounded to the nearest thousand throughout. Declarant counts have been rounded to the nearest ten. Therefore, sum of breakdowns may not sum to totals given.

Declarant counts are often not mutually exclusive. This is due to many businesses making across both import and export declarations with both EU and non-EU countries. Declarants may also use various types of representation, and multiple locations of entry/exit in separate instances.

Data includes all cleared international trade declarations submitted to HMRC via CHIEF or CDS. It does not include declarations by conduct or oral declarations which have not subsequently been submitted to CHIEF or CDS.

The latest generation of customs declaration data has been used. This reflects the most recent status of each individual customs declaration.

Migration from CHIEF to CDS has progressed throughout 2023, primarily with imports. To date, there is no evidence that this has impacted overall declaration volumes submitted to HMRC.

The date of a given customs declaration for both imports and exports has been based on the date of clearance.

The partner country of a given customs declaration has been based on the country of dispatch for imports and the country of destination for exports.

Customs declarations for trade movements between Northern Ireland and Great Britain have been excluded, in addition to UK trade movements with the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and the UK continental shelf.

Customs declarations for trade movements between Northern Ireland and the European Union are not mandated. A small number are submitted, these have been categorised under ‘Other’.

Customs declarations for goods imported from or exported to multiple partner countries that span different regions (i.e. both EU and non-EU countries) have also been categorised under ‘Other’.

Customs declarations where partner country was not provided have been categorised under ‘Other’. This can occur where it is not mandatory to provide this information, or due to use of certain customs procedures or facilitations.

Customs declarations where port of entry or exit was not provided have been categorised as ‘Unknown’. This is most common in declarations for goods exiting a Customs Warehouse.

The port code ‘DEU’ is used in pre-lodged declarations where the location of entry or exit (either Dover or the Eurotunnel) was not determined at the time of submission.

The ‘Other’ declarant representation category captures declarations which are not defined as self, direct or indirect representation. All declarations categorised as ‘Other’ are exit summary declarations. This declaration type is only available for exports.

Incomplete CHIEF declarations are declared as types A & D. In CDS, the equivalent of an incomplete CHIEF declaration is made using additional declaration types B & E – where allowed. In both cases, any revenue due will be collected against the incomplete declaration and no supplementary declaration will be submitted.

Declaration types have been grouped into the following categories:

• standard customs declarations – declarations which require full details of goods being imported or exported (‘A’, and ‘D’)

• simplified frontier declarations (SFD) – declarations which are submitted to release goods which have arrived at the frontier (codes ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’ and ‘H’)

• C21 – a clearance form which requests the release of goods at a location with an inventory linked system (codes ‘J’ and ‘K’)

• supplementary declarations – declarations which require full details of goods being imported or exported having used the Simplified Customs Declaration Procedure (SCDP) facilitations (codes ‘Q’, ‘Y’ and ‘Z’)

• Exit Summary Declarations (EXS) – export declarations that are required when safety and security requirements for a full customs export declaration have not been fulfilled

Key data caveats and limitations

Figures are provisional and may be subject to change

Figures will remain static if the underlying administrative customs declarations data recorded by CDS and CHIEF at the given date of extraction does not change.

Limitations of declaration volumes and declarant counts as a measure of trade in goods

Declaration volumes are a useful metric for measuring the approximate number of unique import and export consignments.  They are not reliable measures of overall trade volume. Data on trade value and net mass are better indicators of UK trade performance. These are published on a monthly basis in the Overseas Trade in goods Statistics (OTS).

Declarant counts represent the number of businesses declaring to CHIEF and CDS. This business population consists of self-declaring traders and businesses acting as third-party declarants. The population of self-declaring traders makes up a small proportion of the total trading population. This is published separately within HMRC’s Customs importer and exporter population publication.

Change in declaring behaviour over time

The declaring behaviour of declarants may not remain consistent over time.

Declarants may change the number of customs declarations they submit for equivalent volumes of goods. Declarant behaviour may change due to the use of certain customs facilitations and may do so at any point within a given period.

Impact of Staged Customs Controls (SCC) on 2023 data

In 2021, temporary Staged Customs Controls allowed GB importers of non-controlled EU goods to defer submission of the full customs declaration for up to 175 days after the movement of goods. From 2022 onwards, SCC was only available for use on non-controlled goods imported from the Republic of Ireland.

Some customs declarations for goods imported into GB from Ireland using SCC in 2022 may have been submitted to HMRC in 2023. This may have had a small increasing effect to 2023 GB import volumes from the EU.

Impact of the Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDS) facilitation

The introduction of the BIRDS facilitation has allowed authorised declarants the option of grouping together multiple low value consignments into a single customs declaration.

This will have had a reducing effect on the number of submitted customs declarations for imports in 2023.

Impact of Customs Warehousing on customs declaration volumes

Data includes declarations for goods both entering and exiting a Customs Warehouse, with the potential for more than one Customs declaration being submitted for a single consignment of goods.

Customs declarations for goods exiting a Customs Warehouse do not contain data for the original port of entry which make up many submitted import declarations.

Impact of unarrived customs declarations

When goods are imported or exported to and from the United Kingdom, HMRC needs to be notified that the goods have physically arrived at UK border locations.

HMRC is aware of cases where this has not occurred, meaning HMRC is unable to clear these goods.

Therefore, declarations for goods that were not cleared by customs will not be included in this release.

Other data caveats

Declarant counts are based on the number of unique entries in the declarant Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number section of a customs declaration. A small number of entries do not conform to a valid EORI format. Due to these errors in the underlying data, declarant counts presented may differ slightly from the true number.

Figures for the number of customs declarations in this release have been compiled from both CDS and CHIEF data, which have different data requirements.

The declarant representation status of declarations has been sourced from data element 3/21 for CDS data, and box 14 for CHIEF data. In some instances, the data from this provides a different status to that when comparing the consignee/consignor EORI to the declarant EORI.

Entry and exit location codes used within this release may not have equivalent trade data available in other trade in goods publications.

Entry summary declarations (ENS) do not feature in this release as they are not submitted to CHIEF or CDS.

Terms and definitions

Customs declaration

An electronic submission of data which provides legally required information about the goods being imported/exported, including the customs procedure which the goods are being entered to.

Consignment

A shipment of goods sent by a single exporter which is destined for a single importer. A customs declaration has the potential to be made up of multiple consignments.

Consignor

The business responsible for sending a consignment of goods (exporter).

Consignee

The business responsible for receiving a consignment of goods (importer).

Declarant

The business submitting a customs declaration.

Self-representation/self-declaring

Where the importer or exporter is also the declarant in the submission of a customs declaration (no use of a third-party declarant).

Direct representation/third party

Where a third-party declarant business is acting in the name of and on behalf of the importer/exporter in the submission of a customs declaration, whereby the third party must hold written authority of their power to act as the direct representative.

Indirect representation/third party

Where a third-party declarant business is acting in their own name but on behalf of the importer/exporter in the submission of a customs declaration, whereby both parties accept joint liability for all information provided.

Customs Declaration Service (CDS)

CDS records the information collected from customs declarations and has been introduced to replace CHIEF.

Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF)

CHIEF records the information collected from customs declarations.

Entry date

The date in which the entry is lodged onto CHIEF or CDS, which can be done prior to the goods being presented to customs (pre-lodgement).

Acceptance date

The tax point for imported/exported goods. At ports of entry/exit that allow for pre-lodgement of declarations, the acceptance date reflects when the goods arrived at or departed from the UK. At other ports of entry/exit, it reflects the date in which the goods are declared to a customs procedure (e.g. into free circulation).

Clearance date

 The date when the customs authority releases the goods having carried out whatever checks they deemed necessary.

Simplified Customs Declaration Procedure (SCDP)

A customs facilitation that allows authorised businesses to submit a declaration in two parts. The first part is an initial simplified declaration or making an entry in their records. This allows goods to move across the border quickly. A subsequent full declaration is then required by the 4th working day of the following month.

Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDS)

A customs facilitation that gives authorised businesses the option of grouping together multiple low value consignments into one bulked declaration with reduced information required.

Customs Warehousing

A customs facilitation that allows businesses to store goods with duty or import VAT payments suspended, until such goods are either released into free circulation, re-exported or moved to another customs procedure.

Official statistics publication

This is the first release of customs declarants and declaration volumes for 2023.

Now that the UK has left the EU, it is important that our statistics continue to be of high quality. All releases continue to be produced in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics as well as internationally agreed statistical guidance and standards.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. The Customs declarants and declarations volumes publication complies with this legislation in the following ways:

Trustworthiness

• the publication is released in an open and transparent manner. Adhering to a published schedule with timely announcements
• statistics and explanatory material are presented impartially and objectively
• all relevant data notes and caveats are clearly stated alongside the data
• all material is accessible in line with Government Digital Service (GDS) guidance
• a complete time series is available as an additional data table

Quality

• administrative data taken from customs declarations is used to create this publication. This is the most appropriate source and provides the best coverage of the customs declarations and declarants
• data sources, exclusions, methods, limitations and definitions are provided in a methodology document published with this release
• data is compared to previous years’ declaration volumes to ensure reliability, and detection of outliers
• standardised definitions are used throughout this publication and are available in the methodology document published with this release

Value

• detailed data tables and summary statistics are equally available to all via the gov.uk website
• suitable data visualisations and commentary are included to aid appropriate understanding and interpretation of the statistics
• By engaging with new technology and ongoing updates to our best practice, we work to improve these statistics each year
• Other related statistics and data sources are signposted with explanations of their consistency and comparability to this publication
• Advice about the appropriate use of these statistics is provided in the publication and in the methodology document published with this release

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailing [email protected].

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing [email protected] or via the OSR website.

Additional information

CHIEF and CDS

CDS Import and export tariffs

CHIEF Import tariff

CHIEF Export tariff

Simplified Customs Declaration Procedure (SCDP)

Bulk Import Reduced Dataset Set (BIRDS)

Customs warehousing

Entry and exit location codes

Exit Summary Declarations (EXS)