CDS Deadline Extended for Export Declarations

Updated 22/03/2023 following further delays from HMRC. HMRC have extended the deadline for migrating your UK export declarations to the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). You will now be able to process export clearances on the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system until 4th June 2024, more than a year after the original deadline of 31st March 2023.

The decision was made after HMRC liaised with the industry about the deadline and the current use of CDS for import clearances. The two key reasons for the delay are:

• More time is required to prepare exporters, brokers, and other stakeholders for the switch from CHIEF to CDS.
• HMRC, ports, and SaaS providers need to ensure that all IT-critical functionality is delivered on time, following an extension to CHIEF imports as the CDS infrastructure was not in place.

Nicola Haynes, the senior customs consultant for Customs Support in the UK, commented on the extension.