Guidance

October 2024 — NCTS Phase 5: pre-lodged declarations

Updated 5 December 2024

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On 22 January 2025 all member countries of the Common Transit Convention (CTC) will introduce the final new features of New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) Phase 5. These are known as final state rules.

To help you prepare for the implementation of final state rules we are issuing regular updates. You can find all our transit updates on GOV.UK.

Pre-lodgement

In NCTS Phase 5, a declaration (IE015) can be submitted up to 30 days in advance of the movement date. This is called a ‘pre-lodged’ declaration. The declaration cannot be amended once it is submitted.

What’s changing

We previously told you about a new functionality in NCTS Phase 5 that allows a pre-lodged declaration to be amended after it has been submitted, allowing changes to be made to:

  • consignment information
  • consignor information
  • consignee information
  • goods information

This change will now be implemented on 22 January 2025, when we move to final state rules.

What this means for declarants

As a declarant you do not need to do anything differently. You can continue to submit a declaration up to 30 days in advance of the movement.

You will continue to present the goods and the reference to Border Force officers at Office of Departure before the movement can progress. If any changes are required to the declaration, you will need to:

  1. Request the rejection of the declaration.

  2. Amend the data.

  3. Re-submit the declaration.

What this means for software suppliers

As a supplier of commercial software, you will need to retain the workaround measures that were provided earlier this year, by continuing to have the Additional Declaration Type D and the IE170 functionality disabled within your NCTS Phase 5 software product.

What’s next

We will provide further information to software providers and declarants, ahead of January 2025 to explain how the new pre-lodgement will work.

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