Contents
- TSS Portal outage notification
- Changes to steel movements into Northern Ireland from 1 July 2026
- Stay up to date with ‘stop word’ list changes
- CERTEX good practice: how to avoid validation errors
- UKIMS movements incurring incorrect additional duties
- TSS Tip: Do you tend to move the same types of products into Northern Ireland? Here are some TSS functionalities to save time
- Q&A: three common questions small businesses ask TSS
- Your bi-weekly jargon buster
This fortnight’s bulletin begins with several key updates, followed by our themed focus: Moving goods with TSS? A simple guide to getting it right.
TSS Portal outage notification
The Trader Support Service (TSS) Portal will be updated on Sunday 12 July 2026. This will require a short period of downtime between 5pm and 10pm.
The following NICTA guides will also be updated:
- Full Frontier Declaration: Step-by-step guide
- Supplementary Declarations: Step-by-step guide
Further guides and resources are available in the Guide Directory on NICTA.
Changes to steel movements into Northern Ireland from 1 July 2026
From 1 July 2026, new United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) steel measures are affecting the movement of steel into Northern Ireland (NI).
Traders should plan for these measures when preparing to move goods to NI and ensure they are ready to make accurate declarations from this date.
Key updates
UKIMS – construction goods
From 1 July 2026, steel products used in construction activities in NI (for example, certain pipes or piling products) are eligible to move under the UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS).
Where goods qualify and are declared accordingly, they can move into NI without being subject to EU tariffs, even where tariff rate quotas are unavailable, provided they are in free circulation in the UK.
Goods must be:
- Moved by a UKIMS authorised importer
- Used for construction in NI, forming a permanent part of a structure
- Installed by the importer or one subsequent entity
UK origin steel quotas
The UK and EU have agreed to continue specific country allocation quotas for UK origin steel moving to NI in categories: 7, 8, 9, 13, 17, 25A and 28.
Where UK origin steel needs to be moved outside the existing quotas or UKIMS, traders should email [email protected] to check if there is an available facilitation for their volume of goods to move within.
Other movements
For categories not covered by these facilitations, traders should follow the Steel Notice.
From 1 July, goods not covered by quota volumes are subject to out-of-quota duties of 50% (previously 25%).
Key reminders
- Quotas operate on a first come, first served basis
- Consider ordering earlier in the quota quarter to manage risk
- Engage early to ensure accurate declarations from 1 July 2026
- The Steel Notice was updated on 1 July 2026
Support
- The Trader Support Service (TSS) can assist with declarations
- Further queries: [email protected]
Stay up to date with ‘stop word’ list changes
Stop words and phrases are used to help improve Entry Summary Declaration data quality across all Import Control System 2 (ICS2) countries and filing types (see also Your bi-weekly jargon buster below). These are already in place, but new terms may be added over time.
You can stay informed whenever the official List of stop words is updated.
If you use the stop word list as part of your processes, you can subscribe to notifications through your CIRCABC account to receive updates as soon as changes are made.
How to subscribe:
- Log in to your CIRCABC account
- Go to ‘Library’
- Open the ‘List of Stop Words’
- Select the option to subscribe to notifications
This will ensure you’re always working with the latest version and help avoid any issues caused by outdated information.
CERTEX good practice: how to avoid validation errors
The EU’s Certificate Exchange System (CERTEX) validates and checks licence data and certificate details on declarations made into the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). This can be used for NI movements of licensed goods that are raised using systems such as TRACES NT.
If your goods are subject to CERTEX validation, the licence or certificate details on your declaration must match the information held on the licence or certificate. CERTEX checks that the licence or certificate is valid and there is a sufficient balance available to cover the shipment.
If the information does not match, your declaration may receive an error message, which could delay your goods movement.
Key steps
When completing your declaration, enter the licence or certificate’s full reference, including all characters exactly as they appear on the document.
If you are declaring an exemption, such as a Y code, make sure the ‘Document Reason’ you give follows the relevant Appendix 5A instructions.
The Document Status Code must be suitable for the licence or certificate you are declaring. Check Appendix 5B before submitting your declaration. Only use EE or ES if you intend to fully exhaust or surrender the licence. Use EP only when you are using part of the quantity allowed on the licence.
Before submitting, double check the reference, commodity code, quantity, measurement unit, exemption reason and status code against the original document. This can help avoid CERTEX validation errors and reduce delays.
TSS Top Tip: There is now a new guide called How to Declare Licensed Goods for Movements into Northern Ireland available on NICTA. Use this detailed step-by-step guide for moving licensed goods.
See related TSS Trader Bulletin articles Getting your CERTEX & CHED details right and CERTEX: good practice on NICTA.
UKIMS movements incurring incorrect additional duties
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is aware that there is an ongoing issue concerning certain food/agricultural goods and fertilisers moving into NI, where ‘at risk’ tariffs are being calculated and applied on goods subject to Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1227.
This measure should only apply to goods when they are exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation or Belarus. However, even when this isn’t the case, the EU measure is currently being triggered in CDS, resulting in an additional duty rate and an ‘at risk’ duty outcome.
If you think your goods movement has incurred incorrect duty calculations, or would incur incorrect duties on submission, please contact TSS immediately for advice and support on how best to proceed.
Now that you’re up to date, explore our themed articles below for simple guidance to help you get your goods movements right.
TSS Tip: Do you tend to move the same types of products into Northern Ireland? Here are some TSS functionalities to save time
If you regularly move the same types of products into NI using TSS, the easiest approach is to reuse information already stored in the TSS Portal:
- Use your Trader Goods Profile (TGP) to auto-populate your Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI) record with key product details such as commodity code, goods description, country of origin and category of goods
To use TGP in TSS, you need to set up the required access by following TSS Permissions Management for TGP and UKIMS on NICTA. For step-by-step support, see the Trader Goods Profile (TGP) Guide.
HMRC guidance is also available on GOV.UK: Manage your Trader Goods Profile.
- Use Copy Consignment to duplicate a previous Entry Summary Declaration consignment
- Use Copy/Import Previous Goods to reuse goods-level data from earlier declarations. This reduces manual entry, helps avoid errors and speeds up repeat submissions
Step-by-step instructions on how to use Copy Consignment and Copy/Import Previous Goods can be found in the ENS Step-by-step guide: Standard Process and Consignment First Process and the Supplementary Declarations: Step-by-step guide on NICTA.
Note: Ensure you keep your TGP entries updated and review the commodity codes you use regularly, as tariff measures can change. Refer to the Northern Ireland Online Tariff on GOV.UK to check your commodity codes.
Q&A: three common questions small businesses ask TSS
If you’re a small business moving goods, completing customs declarations can sometimes prove challenging. The good news is that many of the questions traders ask TSS are common, and the answers often come down to knowing where to look and what information to check before you submit.
“Which commodity code do I use?”
Your commodity code tells customs authorities what your goods are and therefore it affects duties, controls, licences and the information you need to provide. Start by checking what the item is made from, what it is used for and how it is presented or packaged.
If you are unsure, use the How to identify your commodity codes guidance on GOV.UK to help narrow down the correct commodity code to use.
“What does this error mean?”
Error messages usually point to missing, inconsistent or incorrectly formatted information. For example, an error may appear if a required reference is missing, a data field does not match the commodity code, or the declaration details do not meet system requirements.
Use Resolving Error Codes alongside the Data guide: TSS declaration data requirements guide to understand what the messages mean and how to resolve them within the data fields.
“Do I really need to fill in all these boxes?”
In most cases, yes. Each box on a customs declaration helps build a complete customs picture of your movement. Some fields confirm who is involved, others describe the goods, route, value, or supporting documents. The TSS Portal will always show which fields are mandatory before saving or submitting your declaration.
A helpful checklist
- Use NICTA resources for guidance when completing declarations or forms within the TSS Portal:
- Check that you have used the correct commodity code and that it is up to date:
- Review all required data fields:
- Add supporting document references:
- Resolve any errors before resubmitting:
Your bi-weekly jargon buster
Trader Goods Profile (TGP)
TGP is a unique ‘goods profile’ on the TSS Portal that enables you to move goods by providing just a simple goods description. This functionality removes the need to provide goods details for each movement.
HMRC will automatically create a TGP for your business when you register for UKIMS. TGP records are created using information from goods you have previously moved from GB to NI using your UKIMS authorisation.
If you allow TSS access to your HMRC TGP profile, you can auto-populate certain information (such as goods description, commodity code and country of origin) from your TGP records, so you don’t need to manually enter that information each time you move those goods.
You can find further information on GOV.UK about how to Manage your Trader Goods Profile and in the Trader Goods Profile (TGP) Guide on NICTA.
Stop words
ICS2 relies on detailed data for safety and security risk analysis. The goods description you input into ICS2 helps the relevant authorities to identify the goods being moved.
ICS2 doesn’t accept vague and generic goods descriptions such as ‘parts’, ‘general cargo’ or ‘freight’. These terms are called ‘stop words’ as they can cause an Entry Summary Declaration to be rejected if they are used as the goods description.
You can visit the European Commission’s Updated list of ICS2 Stop Words for the current list of stop words.
TSS carries out data quality checks on goods descriptions to make sure they satisfy ICS2 requirements. If a stop word is solely used in the ‘Goods Description’ field on the Entry Summary Declaration, TSS will clear the field and prompt you for a better description of the goods to ensure that your declaration is not rejected.
Further information on entering an acceptable goods description can be found in the Goods Description Guide on NICTA.
TSS Contact Centre hours of operation:
07:30 – 22:30, 7 days a week
Contact options
Tel: 0800 060 8888
Welsh speakers Tel: 0800 060 8988