Making a full export declaration
Last updated 5 March 2024
You should check if you need to declare goods you bring into or take out of the UK before you make a full export declaration.
Before you submit
You should check if the goods are leaving from a location that needs your export declaration to be submitted as ‘arrived’. If this is required, the declaration must be submitted before the goods start their journey to the border location.
If the goods are leaving from any other location, the declaration should be submitted as pre-lodged. This means the declaration must be submitted before the goods are presented to customs at the UK border.
When to submit
You or your representative must declare and obtain clearance for your goods with customs before they are allowed to leave the UK and this depends on the last mode of transport you use.
When you should make your declaration depends on the last mode of transport you use to move the goods.
Road and inland waters
You must make a declaration at least one hour before your departure when using road or inland waters.
Sea
You must make a declaration within 2 hours before leaving port if you are moving your goods using a boat or ship and your cargo is in a container from the UK to:
- Greenland
- Faroe Islands
- Iceland
- ports on the Baltic Sea
- the North Sea
- the Black Sea
- the Mediterranean Sea
For all other cargo in a container movements you must make a declaration at least 24 hours before they are loaded on to the vessel on which they leave the UK.
For cargo not in a container, at least 2 hours before your good leave the port.
Air
If you’re exporting goods by air, you must submit a declaration at least 30 minutes before departure from a UK airport.
Rail
You must make a declaration if you are exporting goods by rail:
- at least one hour before you arrive at the office of exit when the journey time from the last train station at which the train was formed, to the customs office of exit takes less than 2 hours
- in all other cases at least 2 hours before the goods leave the UK
What you’ll need
The declaration will need to include:
- the customs procedure code
- the commodity code
- your declaration unique consignment reference which is the main reference number that links declarations
You also need to provide information like:
- the departure point and destination
- the consignee and consignor
- the type, amount and packaging of your goods
- the transport methods and costs
- currencies and valuation methods
- certificates and licences
How to submit
You can send your declaration online.
You can also use commercial software to submit your declaration.
Find out how to complete your declaration if you’re using the Customs Declaration Service.
When you are completing the declaration, you should also read either the:
- customs declaration completion requirements for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), if you’re exporting from Great Britain
- customs declaration completion requirements for The Northern Ireland Protocol, if you’re exporting from Northern Ireland
After you’ve submitted
You can amend your:
- export declaration before it’s been cleared by customs
- statistical record up to 3 years after the declaration is cleared, but you need tell to HMRC
Find out how to make an amendment to export declarations for statistical purposes only.
HMRC will need to be told the goods have left the UK. This is known as a ‘departure message’.
For locations using an inventory linked system or the goods vehicle movement service, this will be done automatically by the systems at the point of departure.
If you export from a location which does not have an inventory linked system and an approved loader is not available at the point of departure, you’ll need to report to HMRC when your goods are presented at the UK port of departure and when the goods have left the UK.