Contents
- Reminder: Assisted Completion Service closing to new requests
- UKIMS movements incurring incorrect additional duties
- “What happens if the movement transport details change after the movement started?”
- “How do I check if I have outstanding declarations?”
- Your bi-weekly jargon buster
This fortnight’s bulletin begins with several key updates, followed by our themed focus: TSS made clear – practical questions after your movement has started
Reminder: Assisted Completion Service closing to new requests
The Assisted Completion Service (ACS) will close to new requests on 15 September 2026.
If you think you may need support through the ACS, please consider submitting your request as soon as possible.
Submitting your request as early as possible will help ensure it can be reviewed before the service closes on 15 September 2026, as requests submitted close to the closure date may not be progressed or completed.
To help avoid delays, we encourage you to gather the required information and submit any onboarding templates or supporting documents as early as possible.
If the Trader Support Service (TSS) has already contacted you, please send any requested information as soon as you can so we can continue progressing your case.
After ACS closes to new requests, you will remain responsible for completing and submitting your Supplementary Declarations and paying any duties due.
Guidance and support remain available through TSS guidance on NICTA, the Get Help function in the TSS Portal and the TSS Contact Centre on 0800 060 8888.
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 Northern Ireland (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 European Union (EU) measure is currently being triggered in the Customs Declaration Service (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, which answer practical questions that you may have after your movement has started
“What happens if the movement transport details change after the movement started?”
Even with careful planning, transport details can change after an Entry Summary Declaration has been submitted and the goods are already moving. For example, a vessel may be changed, or the vehicle registration or trailer number may differ from the details originally declared. If this happens, the Identity Number of Transport field may need to be updated in the TSS Portal.
Understand the field format
The Identity Number of Transport field is split into two parts by a # character:
- Left of the # – the letters ‘IMO’ followed by a 7-digit number identifying the vessel
- Right of the # – the vehicle registration or trailer number
Whether the Identity Number of Transport field can be amended depends on the Type of Movement.
‘RoRo Accompanied’ movements
For Roll on Roll off (RoRo) Accompanied movements, you or your agent/intermediary can amend the IMO and the vehicle registration or trailer number part of the field on the Entry Summary Declaration. If the vessel details need to be corrected after submission, update the field(s) in the TSS Portal and select Save to confirm the change.
‘RoRo Unaccompanied’ movements
For RoRo Unaccompanied movements, only the trailer number can be amended:
- IMO + 7-digit number (left of the #): this cannot be amended. Any changes will revert to the original value. To record a change of vessel, you must cancel the declaration and submit a new one with the correct IMO number
- Trailer number (right of the #): this can be amended. Update the details on the declaration and select Save
Important note: Any changes to these fields must be made up to 4 hours before the vessel’s stated arrival time.
Remember to update your Goods Movement Reference (GMR) number
If the vehicle registration or trailer number changes after the movement has started, you must also update the Goods Movement Reference (GMR) number in TSS or the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS). The declaration and GMR must match and if not, the movement may be delayed.
“How do I check if I have outstanding declarations?”
It’s a good idea to keep track of the progress of your declarations on the TSS Portal, so you can identify any that need your attention, for example if further information is needed. Addressing outstanding declarations promptly can help avoid a delay to your goods movements.
The TSS Portal enables you to view a list of all your TSS goods movements and then filter them by type and status. To do this, select Goods Movements from the navigation bar and choose View a Goods Movement from the drop-down menu.
A new page will open with a Quick Filters section, where you can see the number of goods movements in their respective types and status. Each status box is updated when the page is refreshed.
The column on the left presents all goods movements by their Type, such as ‘Entry Summary Declarations’ or ‘Full Frontier Declarations’. Selecting a movement type will open the different Status options in the column on the right:
- Draft
- Trader Input Required
- Overdue
- Pending Payment
Clicking on a Status type will display a list of goods movements under that status. The options box on the right can further filter the list by ‘this week’, ‘this month’, ‘last 6 months’, ‘last 12 months’ and ‘over 12 months’.
More information on using the ‘Search’ and ‘Quick Filters’ functions in the TSS Portal can be found in the How to use the TSS Portal guide on NICTA.
Your bi-weekly jargon buster
A short, bi-weekly glossary to demystify terms related to this week’s TSS Trader Bulletin theme.
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number is a unique, permanent identification number assigned during the construction of propelled, sea-going merchant ships of 100 gross tons and above. There are a few types of vessels that do not require an IMO number, such as pleasure yachts and wooden ships.
Traders need to know the IMO numbers of the vessels carrying their goods, as they are required for GVMS (see below) and documents such as Entry Summary Declarations and pre-movement Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI) in the TSS Portal.
The reference is made up of the three letters ‘IMO’ followed by a seven-digit number. It remains unchanged throughout the vessel’s lifetime – even if the ship’s name, ownership or flag state changes.
Vessel IMO numbers can be looked up on Ships List with Details and Live Maps.
More information about IMO numbers can be accessed on the IMO’s website.
Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS)
GVMS is a HM Government system for coordinating the movement of vehicles. This system is available at specific ports in the UK for faster clearance of goods with pre-lodged declarations. GVMS is connected to CDS and provides electronic notification of the status of shipments.
GVMS is used to generate a GMR number, which is an alphanumeric reference with a barcode that links together the different declaration references for all goods being moved within a particular vehicle or trailer. This enables the person moving the goods (haulier/carrier) to present only one GMR at the port of departure.
Without a valid GMR, vehicles cannot board ferries. Each GMR contains details for a single crossing and can only be used once. There are different ways of creating a GMR for TSS movements:
- On TSS, the ‘GMR Automation’ function is an automated process that auto-loads the references created in TSS into the GVMS system
- On GVMS, you can enter the information manually
To create a GMR you need to Register for the Goods Vehicle Movement Service on GOV.UK. For further information, please refer to the Creating a Goods Movement Reference 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