TSS Bulletin 225th Edition

Published: 13 August 2026|

Contents

This fortnight’s bulletin begins with several key updates, followed by our themed focus: Submitting an Entry Summary Declaration? Start here.

TSS Portal outage notification

The TSS Portal will be updated on Sunday 06 September 2026. This will require a short period of downtime between 17.00 – 22.00pm.

Check now if you need Assisted Completion Service support

The Assisted Completion Service (ACS) will close to new requests on 15 September 2026.

If you have outstanding Supplementary Declarations, please review them now and check whether you need support to complete them. Capacity for new ACS requests is limited, so eligible users who genuinely need support, should act now.

If you already have an ACS case open, please provide any outstanding onboarding templates, documents or information as soon as possible. This will help the team review your case and maximise the opportunity for support to be provided.

You should not raise duplicate ACS requests for the same declaration.

After 15 September 2026, new ACS requests will no longer be accepted. You will remain responsible for completing and submitting your Supplementary Declarations and paying any duties due.

Support remains available through TSS guidance, the ‘Get Help’ function in the TSS Portal and the TSS Contact Centre on 0800 060 8888.

CERTEX good practice: how to avoid validation errors

The European Union’s (EU’s) Certificate Exchange System (CERTEX) validates and checks licence data and certificate details on declarations made into HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC’s) Customs Declaration Service (CDS). This can be used for Northern Ireland (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 that there is a sufficient balance available to cover the shipment.

If the information does not match, your declaration may receive an error, 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 the Northern Ireland Customs & Trade Academy (NICTA) website. 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

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 on: Submitting an Entry Summary Declaration? Start here.

What is an Entry Summary Declaration and when do I need it?

The TSS Portal enables you to submit a safety and security declaration, known as an Entry Summary Declaration, and complete a relevant customs procedure for your goods.

An Entry Summary Declaration is a mandatory safety and security document that alerts customs authorities of incoming goods prior to them arriving at a port. It is not a customs declaration, and it focuses strictly on risk analysis rather than duties or taxes.

Since 1 January 2021 safety and security declarations have been required for all goods movements into NI from Great Britain (GB) or from countries outside the EU.

Some goods are exempt from the requirement to submit an Entry Summary Declaration. This includes qualifying NI goods being imported into GB. For further information, refer to the Safety and security declarations page on GOV.UK.

Who can submit an Entry Summary Declaration?

The carrier moving the goods is legally responsible for submitting the Entry Summary Declaration into the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) before the goods arrive in NI.

Carriers/traders may either:

  • submit an Entry Summary Declaration themselves

or

  • appoint a third party, such as a representative, intermediary or customs agent, to submit them on their behalf. Note that third parties must not submit declarations without the carrier’s knowledge and contractual agreement

Which Entry Summary Declaration guide do I need on NICTA?

Depending on your journey requirements, there are various Entry Summary Declaration guides on the NICTA website that focus on specific journey types.

To save you time, here we breakdown those guides to ensure you can go directly to the most relevant guide for your movement.

ENS Step-by-Step Guide: Standard Process and Consignment First Process

The ENS Step-by-Step Guide: Standard Process and Consignment First Process is a comprehensive guide outlining how to complete an Entry Summary Declaration for accompanied or unaccompanied Roll on Roll off (RoRo) movements from GB to NI using the TSS Portal.

The two main ways of submitting an Entry Summary Declaration in TSS for such movements are explained in detail:

  • the Standard Process, suitable when movement and consignment information is available upfront, with the movement created first and consignments then added
  • the Consignment First Process, designed for hauliers and traders who need flexibility, such as when multiple consignments from different traders or collection points are loaded onto one vehicle

The guide gives detailed step-by-step instructions for entering movement, consignment and item-level data, including transport details, EORI numbers, arrival information and so on.

There is also a section setting out the additional requirements for moving controlled goods.

ENS Step-by-Step Guide for Maritime Movements from GB to NI

The ENS Step-by-Step Guide for Maritime Movements from GB to NI is another detailed guide about Entry Summary Declarations, outlining how to complete them for maritime movements from GB to Non-Inventory Linked Ports in NI, using the TSS Portal.

This guide explains what an Entry Summary Declaration is, when it is legally required and who is responsible for completing it.

It provides detailed guidance on the required fields of an Entry Summary Declaration, such as EORI numbers, transport details, ports, consignor/consignee information, commodity codes, package details, goods descriptions, weights, procedure codes and document references.

The guide then walks users through the practical process of creating a goods movement, saving and searching for draft movements, cancelling declarations, adding consignments, entering item-level goods records and submitting the declaration.

Entry Summary Declaration Checklists

Unlike the longer guides referenced above, NICTA’s Entry Summary Declaration Checklists are a series of short to-do lists, categorised by type of goods and who is arranging the movement.

These handy checklists set out all the steps required and information needed for different movement types to ensure you are well prepared to complete your Entry Summary Declarations and avoid delays:

Your bi-weekly jargon buster

A short, bi-weekly glossary to demystify terms related to the bulletin’s theme.

Entry Summary Declaration

An Entry Summary Declaration is a mandatory safety and security document that must be submitted to customs authorities for all goods movements into NI prior to them arriving at the port. This declaration contains information that focuses on risk analysis rather than duties or taxes.

Entry Summary Declarations help prevent illicit cargo entering the UK and help in ensuring that interventions at the border are based on risk.

The information required for an Entry Summary Declaration includes:

  • Details of parties involved in the movement (carrier, importer, exporter) and their EORI numbers
  • Description of goods, their commodity codes, weight and quantity
  • Vessel details, port of arrival and estimated time of arrival

The carrier moving the goods is legally responsible for submitting the Entry Summary Declaration into the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) before the goods are loaded or arrive in NI.

Maritime

Maritime refers to goods movements that travel by sea, such as registered shipping containers or bulk cargo transported on cargo vessels between GB and NI. Maritime movements have the same safety and security requirements and require an Entry Summary Declaration to be submitted before the goods arrive at the NI port.

Non-Inventory Linked Ports

Non-Inventory Linked Ports are those where goods are not managed through an inventory system that automatically links the goods to a customs declaration.

If you move goods into NI through these ports, it is important to ensure the correct declarations and references are completed and shared in advance, so goods can move smoothly on arrival.

When moving goods to NI via a RoRo port, a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) is required using all the Movement Reference Numbers (MRNs) or EORI numbers provided by TSS.

Where declarations are raised within TSS, the GMR can also be created directly in TSS as part of the movement process, or alternatively via the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS).

For step‑by‑step guidance, see the Creating a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) on the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) 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

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