Guidance

Customer journey by mode of transport

Updated 18 December 2024

This guidance helps carriers and hauliers to prepare for the new requirement that, from 31 January 2025, any goods imported from the EU to Great Britain must be covered by a safety and security declaration.

It does not replace or amend the guidance on GOV.UK for those exporting to the EU from Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who already sign safety and security declarations.

You will need to decide how you wish to submit your declarations. You can choose to submit entry summary declarations yourself, or you can use a third-party to submit them on your behalf.

If you choose to use a third party to submit your declarations, you retain responsibility for ensuring they are submitted.

You must ensure the information you provide is accurate and timely. Safety and Security data has the mutual benefit of being critical to border security, as well as ensuring the correct risk assessments, which reduces the potential of legitimate goods being stopped for checks.

The government will monitor compliance with these requirements, and where non-compliance is in evidence we will engage with you to support you to address any issues. Where enforcement action is required, this could involve goods being delayed at the border for further checks, or penalties.

Goods travelling by air

Responsibility for submitting:

• for goods travelling by air, the airline that has contracted and issued the air waybill for the carriage of the goods into Great Britain is responsible for ensuring entry summary declarations are submitted

Time limits for submitting:

• for short-haul flights (less than 4 hours), you must submit your entry summary declaration by the time of actual take-off
• for long-haul flights, you must submit at least 4 hours before arrival

Goods travelling by sea

Responsibility for submitting:

• for goods travelling by deep sea container or break/bulk cargo, the legal responsibility for submitting the entry summary declaration sits with the party that has contracted and issued the bill of lading

Time limits for submitting:

• for maritime containerised cargo you must submit at least 24 hours before loading at the port of departure
• for maritime bulk or break-bulk cargo, you must submit at least 4 hours before arrival
• for Short Seas journeys, you must submit at least 2 hours before arrival.

The short seas area is as follows:

1. Ireland or Norway
2. the Faeroe Islands
3. Iceland
4. ports on the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the English Channel, or the Atlantic coast of Europe from the point where it meets the English Channel to and including the port of Algeciras

Goods travelling by roll-on roll-off (RoRo) - accompanied and unaccompanied

Responsibility for submitting:

For  goods travelling by RoRo:

• the haulage company is responsible for lodging the declaration for accompanied goods
• the ferry operator is responsible for lodging the declaration for unaccompanied goods

Time limits for submitting:

• for RoRo accompanied freight you must submit at least 2 hours before arrival of the ferry operator
• for RoRo unaccompanied freight you must submit at least 2 hours before arrival of the ferry operator

Goods travelling by rail

For unaccompanied goods travelling by rail, the rail freight operator, who is authorised to traction the train, is responsible for lodging the declaration.

Time limits for submitting:

• for a Short Rail Journey (less than 2 hours duration), you must submit at least one hour before arrival of the train
• for a Long Rail Journey (more than 2 hours duration), you must submit at least 2 hours before arrival of the train

Goods travelling by Eurotunnel

For goods travelling by Eurotunnel, the haulage company is responsible for lodging the declaration.

Time limits for submitting:

• for road traffic (Channel Tunnel – Le Shuttle Freight), you must submit at least one hour before arrival at the Eurotunnel terminal (at Coquelles, France)