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Platform · Port / CSP connectivity

Connect Customs Filing to the Port Process Your Shipment Uses

The right declaration is only part of the setup. CDUK connects directly with HMRC and the UK Community System Providers CNS, MCP/Destin8 and CCS-UK, so your team can prepare, submit and follow the filing around the movement you actually make, from one account, with no intermediary in the way.

  • HMRC CDS
  • CNS · MCP/Destin8 · CCS-UK
  • GVMS routes
  • Onboarding review
Check your port and CSP setup
  • Route a declaration to HMRC and the port CSPOne account submits to HMRC and the community system your location uses; GVMS and export declarations need no port badge.
  • Customs and cargo responses in one recordFollow the declaration from submission to clearance without chasing anyone for an update.
  • Create the GMR for a RoRo movementLink the declarations to the vehicle and crossing, then create the GMR in the same account.
  • A barcode ready for check-inThe GMR and its barcode are ready for the driver, downloadable as a PDF.

In a nutshell

At inventory-linked ports and airports, a customs filing also has to fit the cargo process of the relevant community system. A Community System Provider (CSP) runs that system and links cargo records to customs formalities. Different locations use different providers, and the route you take decides what you need to prepare.

CDUK connects with HMRC, including the Customs Declaration Service (CDS), and with the UK CSPs CNS, MCP/Destin8 and CCS-UK. That gives you one account for the declaration and the port or airport process around it, with your team preparing and submitting directly.

For RoRo / GVMS movements and export declarations no port badge is needed. For everything else, our team reviews your location and movement with you during onboarding, so the setup is right before your first live entry.

Two filing lanes

Inventory-linked cargo and RoRo / GVMS filing are different routes.

Knowing which lane a shipment is in tells your team what to prepare before the goods move. CDUK supports both lanes on one account, and our onboarding review checks that each of your routes is set up for the right one.

Lane 1

Inventory-linked movements

These use the applicable cargo and community-system process. An inventory reference identifies the relevant goods record, while the declaration provides the customs information for the movement. CDUK connects both, so your team sees the inventory reference and the declaration side by side and can check they describe the same goods.

  • Inventory reference identifies the goods record
  • Declaration carries the customs information
  • Access or badge arrangements for your location
  • We help you confirm what your location needs
Lane 2

Non-inventory-linked RoRo / GVMS

For applicable non-inventory-linked roll-on roll-off (RoRo) declarations using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), you file directly in CDS through CDUK without a CSP port badge. The GMR is created in the same account when the route requires one.

  • No port badge is needed for RoRo / GVMS movements or export declarations
  • The Goods Movement Reference (GMR) supports the GVMS movement where the route requires one
  • The GMR supports the declaration and does not replace it
Our connections

Where each connection sits in the process.

This table shows what each connection does, so you can see how a declaration filed in CDUK reaches the customs system or community system that handles your goods.

ConnectionIts place in the filing process
HMRC CDSProcessing your import and export declarations, filed directly
CNSCommunity-system connectivity for relevant inventory-linked movements
MCP/Destin8Community-system connectivity for relevant inventory-linked movements
CCS-UKCommunity-system connectivity for relevant air-cargo movements
GVMSThe separate Goods Movement Reference process for applicable routes

Tell us your location and cargo scenario and we will confirm it for your account during onboarding.

Align the references

The filing has to describe the goods on the cargo record.

Multiple references travel with one movement, and each should point at the same physical goods. CDUK keeps them together on the declaration, so your team can compare them and catch a mismatch before submission instead of after a delay.

References for one movement
  • Inventory referenceWhere the route uses one
  • Transport referencesBooking, load or consignment references
  • Packages and goodsWhat is physically moving

  1. Compare the details

    Check inventory details, transport references, packages and goods information against the actual movement, with validation on hand to flag gaps. Fixing a mismatch is cheapest before anything is submitted.

  2. Prepare the filing

    Build the declaration for the route you use in the declaration workspace, reusing saved parties and templates. Cloning a similar entry gets you most of the way.

  3. Submit through the connection

    Your reviewed filing is sent directly through HMRC and, where applicable, the relevant CSP. The submission is recorded against the declaration.

  4. Follow the responses

    Read the customs and cargo-system responses in the record, and act on any instructions that apply to the goods.

If a booking, load or handling arrangement changes, update the declaration and associated information in the same record.

Which route are you on?

Start from the movement you make.

Pick the route closest to yours. Each summary shows how CDUK handles that movement, and our team confirms the detail for your account during onboarding.

Accompanied road freight on applicable routes

  • No port badge needed to file
  • GVMS

For applicable non-inventory-linked RoRo declarations, you file directly in CDS with no CSP port badge. Where the route needs a GMR, you create it in CDUK as a separate step that supports the GVMS movement.

  • Declaration type and direction set first
  • GMR created in CDUK where the route requires one
  • GMR creation is free when the declaration is filed with CDUK
See GVMS and GMRs
Illustrative example

Reuse the entry, refresh the references.

Reuse with care

Familiar customer, new movement.

Cloning an earlier entry saves time, but each cargo record belongs to one movement. When you reuse an entry for a familiar customer, swap in the new inventory and transport references so the filing describes the new shipment. The comparison view highlights what changed.

  • Swap in the references for the new movement
  • Re-check packages and goods against the new load
  • Update the filing if the booking changes
Set up with confidence

Four points to settle early.

  • Badge and access arrangements

    Inventory-linked arrangements may require badge or access, which is separate from filing the declaration. Our team discusses the connection and exactly what you need for your chosen movement.

  • Naming your location

    Tell us your port or airport early and we will confirm the location and messages for your account. We will tell you plainly if a location needs something extra.

  • Provider charges and declaration price

    Any provider charges or account requirements are discussed separately from the declaration price. Our declaration prices are pay as you go; see our pricing. Maximum prices per declaration are published for each service.

  • Connection and release

    A CSP connection supports the relevant electronic process, and release follows the customs and cargo-system responses. CDUK shows those responses next to the declaration so your team can act on them straight away.

Connectivity questions

Questions about ports and CSPs.

Do I need a badge?

Not for RoRo / GVMS movements or export declarations. No port badge is needed to file them with CDUK. Inventory-linked arrangements may require access at your location, and we help you confirm it. See filing GB imports without a port badge.

Does CDUK supply the port badge?

Badge provision is separate from filing the declaration. Our team discusses the connection and the access you need for your chosen movement, and RoRo / GVMS movements and export declarations need no port badge at all. Tell us your route and we will say exactly what applies.

Does a CSP connection mean release?

A CSP connection supports the relevant electronic process, and release depends on the customs and cargo-system responses. CDUK keeps those responses with the declaration so your team can follow any instructions that apply to the goods.

Can you demonstrate our airport or port workflow?

Yes. Give us the location, provider and filing scenario and our team will walk you through it on your actual requirements, so you can see the workflow before you register.

Is a GMR the same as an inventory reference?

They are different references. The GMR supports the GVMS movement process where a route requires one and sits alongside the declaration. The inventory-linked and non-inventory-linked processes are separate routes. See the GMR glossary entry. CDUK creates the GMR in the same account as the declaration.

Where can I see which ports you support?

Tell us the port or airport you use through the contact page and our team will confirm the setup for you. We review each location with you.

Is the GMR charged separately?

GMR creation is free when the Import, Export, Transit or Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) is filed with CDUK, and £1 otherwise. Any provider charges are separate and discussed with you during onboarding.

Explore related pages

Related connectivity and filing pages.

Start With the Location You Use Most

Tell us the port or airport, the provider and the filing scenario, and our team will set it up with you. Register now, with no monthly fee and no minimum volume, and start filing from one account. Our UK-based team will support you through your first filings.

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