Completing a Customs Declaration (CDS)
The C88/C21 form is the previous Customs Declaration forms that was used to declare goods to Customs, via their old CHIEF computer systems. Since October 2022, all Custom Declarations are being completed on the new CDS system. For more information on the new CDS system process, read on.
Our experienced team are on hand to take away the stress and confusion that this new process may bring.
The following is what must be in place, if you are a Commercial importer:
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01. Register for a Government Gateway account
02. You must have an EORI number
03. Register for the Customs Declaration Service (CDS)
04. Paying VAT and Duty
05. If you have your own Duty deferment account (optional)
IMPORTANT - If you do not implement these changes, then you may lose your ability to import goods into the UK.
It is for this reason that most people decide that they cannot complete it themselves and decide to use an agent or Customs broker.
This is definitely something that the team at UK Import Services can assist you with.
We can clear at most of the UK Container Ports, Ferry Terminals and Airports. We can even assist if you have recently purchased a vehicle from the Channel Islands, or if your parcel is held at the HWDC in Heathrow, and the UK Border Force has sent you a Notice of Arrival (with an SPP number).
Why not contact us today to see how we can help you and may be even save you money.
Please contact us by phone on 0345 309 6360, or email us at: enquiries@ukimportservices.com for assistance and advice about completing a C88 form.
WARNING
Alongside genuine reputable companies, there are some Customs clearance agents and Freight Forwarders, who claim that they can save you money on shipping costs and/or Import Duty & VAT, just by the way you raise your shipping documents, thereby, affecting what they declare on the C88, on your behalf. These methods are classed as fraud, and if caught, come with severe penalties.
Always ensure that you use a reputable* Customs agent/broker who can explain what details they have declared, or will declare, on your behalf.
You have probably read enough information by now, hopefully on our site, to know that the completion of the Customs Form C88 MUST be done in accordance with strict rules and Regulations laid out by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and all the other UK Governing bodies. It is for this reason alone, that you shouldn't leave you goods to be cleared by just any Customs Clearance Broker or Agent that you find, or just because they shipped your goods to the UK.
*We recommend starting with a Company which is a member of BIFA (the professional organisation for the Freight and Shipping industry).
Contact our Imports Team on 0345 309 6360, or email us at: enquiries@ukimportservices.com for our charges for clearing your goods through UK Customs, and possibly to also arrange the shipping of your good too.
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