Group 7: Transport Information (Modes, Means and Equipment)
Updated 29 October 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cds-uk-trade-tariff-volume-3-import-declaration-completion-guide/group-7-transport-information-modes-means-and-equipment
Known error workarounds may apply to this area of the instructions.
DE 7/2 Container (Box 19: Container)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, I1 C&F and I1 B&E | n1 | 1x | NA |
Declaration Category H5:
The Data Element (DE) should be completed to indicate if the goods were containerised when leaving the Special Fiscal Territory or Territory with which the EU has formed a Customs Union.
All Declaration Categories:
Enter the appropriate Union code to indicate if the goods will be in a shipping container when crossing the external border of the Union.
Enter:
‘0’ if the goods are not transported in containers
‘1’ if the goods are transported in containers.
Notes
Please refer to DE 6/9 for package type codes and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) recommendation 21 on package types which includes the definition for containers.
DE 7/4 Mode of Transport at the Border (Box 25: Mode of Transport at the Border)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H7, I1 C&F and I1 B&E | n1 | 1x | NA |
Additional Declaration Types Y or Z (DE 1/2):
Completion of this data element is mandatory for all supplementary declarations.
All Declaration Categories:
Enter the relevant Union code from the list below for the mode of transport used to arrive at the EU external border.
| Mode of transport | Code |
|---|---|
| Maritime (Sea) transport | 1 |
| Rail transport | 2 |
| Road transport | 3 |
| Air transport | 4 |
| Postal (Mail) consignment (see below) | 5 |
| Roll-on-Roll-off (RoRo) | 6 |
| Fixed transport installations | 7 |
| Inland waterway transport | 8 |
| Mode unknown (for instance, own propulsion) | 9 |
Notes:
Code 5 must only be used for goods handled by an authorised postal operator which is governed by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) — either Royal Mail Group or an Extra-Territorial Office of Exchange (ETOE) operator. Code 5 must not be used for consignments exported via a Fast Parcel Operator (FPO) or other non-UPU operator.
The ‘actual’ mode of transport, rather than code 5, should be used for all non-UPU consignments.
The Channel Tunnel Terminal (Eurotunnel) should be declared using code ‘6’: RoRo.
DE 7/5 Inland Mode of Transport (Box 26: Inland Mode of Transport)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1, H3, H4 & H5 | n1 | 1x | NA |
All Declaration Categories:
Using the code list from DE 7/4 (Mode of Transport at the Border), enter the inland mode of transport.
Note — Mode of Transport code 6 Roll-on-Roll-off (RoRo) must not be declared as the inland mode of transport.
Completion of this data element is mandatory when import formalities are carried out away from the point of entry into the Customs Union.
Completion is not required for entry into a customs warehouse or removals from a free zone.
DE 7/9 Identity of Means of Transport on Arrival (Box 18: Identity and Nationality of Means of Transport at Departure)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1, H3, H4 & H5 | Type of identification: n2 + Identification number: an..35 |
1x | NA |
All Declaration Categories:
This data element is not required where codes 5 (Postal) or 7 (Fixed Energy Installations) have been declared in DE 7/4 (Mode of Transport at the Border).
This data element is made up of two components:
First Component: Identification Type (n2)
Enter the type of identification (n2) using the code list below:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 10 | International Maritime Organization (IMO) ship identification number |
| 11 | Name of the sea-going vessel |
| 20* | Wagon number |
| 30* | Registration number of the road vehicle |
| 40 | IATA flight number |
| 41 | Registration number of the aircraft |
| 80 | European Vessel Identification Number (ENI code) |
| 81 | Name of the inland waterways vessel |
*Where Mode of Transport code ‘6’ is declared in DE 7/4, either code 20 or 30 should be entered in DE 7/9.
Second Component: Identification Number (an..35)
Enter the appropriate method of identification for the Transport according to the mode of transport used, as required by the table below:
| Means of transport | Method of identification |
|---|---|
| Sea and inland waterway transport | Name of vessel or IMO Ship Identification Number |
| Air transport | Number and date of flight (where there is no flight number, enter the aircraft’s registration number) |
| Road transport | Vehicle registration number |
| Rail transport | Wagon number |
The ‘identity’ to be declared is the identity of the means of transport on which the goods are directly loaded at the time of presentation at the customs office of import.
This is the identity of the means of transport at the point when the goods are presented and the customs formalities for their release are to be completed.
If a tractor and trailer with different registration numbers are used, enter the registration number of both the tractor and the trailer.
Notes:
The identity of the means of transport must not be declared if DE 7/4 (Mode of Transport at the Border) is completed with 5 (Postal Consignments) or 7 (Fixed Transport Installation).
DE 7/10 Container Identification Number (Box 31: Packages and Description of Goods)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, I1 C&F and I1 B&E | an..17 | 9999x | 9999x |
All Declaration Categories:
Leave this data element blank if the goods are not containerised or if it is not known whether they are containerised.
Enter the marks (letters and/or numbers) which identify the transport container.
Complete this data element if the goods:
- Will be in a container at the point of entering the EU, enter the container number(s)
- Are containerised but the container number(s) are not yet known (for example on a pre-lodged declaration), then enter ‘number(s) unknown’.
If the exact details are not available when the declaration is lodged, unknown may be entered, but the details must be entered later. This can be done prior to arrival at the border using standard amendment procedures.
To avoid duplication, the container number need only be declared against the first item of a declaration where all items are to be shipped in a single container.
Where items on the declaration are packed into different containers, DE 7/10 will need to show individual container numbers at item level.
On paper declarations precede the (list of) container numbers by CN% or, for part containers, by Part Container%, and separate each container number by a comma, for example Part Container%ABCD12345, BCDE234567, WXYZ98765.
Notes:
Please refer to DE 6/9 for package type codes and UN/ECE recommendation 21 on package types which includes the definition for containers.
Air Transport:
In the air mode, containers are special boxes to carry freight, strengthened and allowing horizontal or vertical transfers.
Swap bodies and semi-trailers:
In the context of this data element, the swap bodies and semi-trailers used for road and rail transport shall be considered as containers.
If applicable, for containers covered by the standard ISO 6346, the identifier (prefix) allocated by the International Bureau of Containers and Intermodal Transport (BIC) shall also be provided in addition to the container identification number.
For swap bodies and semi-trailers, the ILU (Intermodal Loading Units) code as introduced by the European EN 13044 standard shall be used.
Modes of transport other than air:
For modes of transport other than air, a container is a special box to carry freight, strengthened and stackable and allowing horizontal or vertical transfers.
Notes:
The term container covers:
- Large, re-usable containers, for example, International Standards Organization (ISO) types designed to be transported by road, rail, sea, or air
- Smaller re-usable types of containers of an internal volume of a cubic metre or more designed to be transported by road, rail, sea or air and capable of specialized handling without unloading
- Specialized re-usable containers designed to be used for the particular goods and transported by road, rail, sea or air
- Goods are to be regarded as containerised even when a container is mounted on a road vehicle or rail wagon
DE 7/15 Nationality of active means of transport crossing the border (Box 21 — identity and nationality of the active means of transport crossing the border nationality)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1, H3, H4 & H5 | a2 | 1x | NA |
All Declaration Categories:
This data element is not required where codes 2 (Rail), 5 (Postal) or 7 (Fixed Energy Installation) have been declared in DE 7/4 (Mode of Transport at the Border).
Using the relevant country code (see Appendix 13: Country Codes), enter the nationality of the active means of transport crossing the Union’s external border.
Enter the nationality of the active means of transport crossing the border, except:
- in the case of ships or aircraft registered in the colonies or dependencies of a foreign country, enter the nationality of that country
- in the case of ships or aircraft registered in the UK’s dependent territories, enter the nationality of that territory
Notes:
In the case of combined transport or where several means of transport are used, the active means of transport is the one which propels the whole combination. For example, in the case of a lorry on a sea-going vessel, the active means of transport is the ship. In the case of a tractor and trailer, the active means of transport is the tractor.
The nationality of the means of transport must not be declared if DE 7/4 (Mode of Transport at the Border) is completed with 2 (Rail Transport), 5 (Postal Consignments) or 7 (Fixed Transport Installation).
On paper declarations: enter the transport identity followed, if required, by the transport nationality, separated by a dash (—).
Where the Identity of means of transport on arrival, declared in DE 7/9 is Eurotunnel, then the Nationality of active means of transport crossing the border declared in DE 7/15 must be FR.
EU is not an acceptable code for the Nationality of active means of transport crossing the border.