Group 7: Transport Information (Modes, Means and Equipment)
Updated 28 September 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-trade-tariff-cds-volume-3-export-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1, B2, B4, C1 C&F and C1 B&E | n1 | 1x | NA |
This data element is mandatory.
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, or will be in a shipping container when dispatched to a Special Fiscal Territory or Territory with which the EU has formed a Customs 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1, B2, B4 and C1 C&F and C1 B&E | n1 | 1x | NA |
This data element is mandatory.
Additional Declaration Types Y or Z (DE 1/2):
Completion of this data element is mandatory for all supplementary declarations.
For Declaration Categories B1, B2, C1 C&F and C1 B&E:
Enter the mode of transport corresponding to the active means of transport which it is expected will be used on exit from the customs territory of the Union.
For Declaration Category B4:
Enter the mode of transport which is expected will be used on dispatch to the Special Fiscal Territory or Territory with which the EU has formed a Customs Union.
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 an Fast Parcel Operator 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.
Code 7 must only be used for exports through a fixed pipeline or cable. It is only appropriate to commodities such as oil, gas and electrical energy.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 and B2 | n1 | 1x | NA |
This data element is mandatory when the goods are declared for export using entry in declarants records (EIDR), Customs supervised exports (CSE), at a Designated Export Place (DEP), or at a Customs or Excise Warehouse.
All Declaration Categories:
Using the code list from DE 7/4 (Mode of Transport at the Border), enter the inland mode of transport.
Mode of Transport code 6 Roll-on-Roll-off (RoRo), must not be declared as the inland mode of transport.
This data element is not required when the export formalities are carried out at a border location, for example not required when the goods are first placed under customs supervision (declared to Customs) at a UK border location such as a port or airport.
DE 7/7 Identity of the means of transport at departure
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 and B2 | Type of identification: n2 + Identification number: an..27 |
1x | NA |
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).
All Declaration Categories:
Enter the identity of the means of transport, where known, on which the goods are directly loaded at the time of export (or that of the vehicle propelling the others if there are several means of transport). If a tractor and trailer with different registration numbers are used, enter the registration numbers of both parts, along with the nationality of the tractor.
This data element is made up of two components:
First Component: means of transport code (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 seagoing vessel |
| 20* | Wagon number |
| 30* | Vehicle 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 waterway’s vessel |
*where Mode of Transport code ‘6’ is declared in DE 7/4, either code 20 or 30 should be entered in DE 7/7.
Second Component: transport identity details (an..27)
Enter the appropriate method of identification for the Transport according to the mode of transport used, as required by the table below:
| Mode of Transport Used | Details to be declared |
|---|---|
| Sea and inland waterway transport | Name of vessel or IMO Ship Identification Number |
| Air transport | Number and date of the flight. Where there is no flight number, enter the Aircrafts Registration Number |
| Road transport | Vehicle Registration Number |
| Rail transport | Wagon Number |
Notes:
If the goods are being declared for export using EIDR, CSE, at a DEP, or at a Customs or Excise Warehouse, enter the identity of the means of transport on which the goods are loaded for dispatch to the border.
If the transport identification is not known when the clearance request is lodged, unknown must be entered, but the Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) must be provided prior to re-arrival at the border. If this cannot be provided, finalised Goods Movement Reference (GMR) containing the Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) and Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) of the declaration will be sufficient to meet the requirement.
If you are authorised to use a Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) Movement Reference Number (MRN) in your GMR Box 18 of the transit declaration must be completed with the correct transport identification.
Finalised GMR with the VRN, Transit Declaration with the correct transport identification will be acceptable for this requirement.
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).
If a tractor and trailer with different registration numbers are used, enter the registration number of both the tractor and the trailer.
To provide compatibility with the Export Control System (ECS), the second component of this data element is restricted to ‘an..27’.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1, B2, B4, C1 C&F and C1 B&E | an..17 | 9999x | 9999x |
This data element is mandatory where DE 7/2 is completed with ‘1’.
Leave this data element blank if the goods are not containerised or if it is not known whether they are containerised.
All Declaration Categories:
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 leaving 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 at header level where all items are to be shipped in a single container.
Header versus item level:
Where items on the declaration are packed into different containers, DE 7/10 will need to show individual container numbers at item level.
Where the seal numbers declared in DE 7/18 require alignment with container numbers, the container numbers must also be declared at header level.
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:
Please refer to DE 6/9 for package type codes and UN/ECE recommendation 21 on package types which includes the definition for containers.
The term container covers:
- Large, re-usable containers, for example, 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
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%ABCU12345, BCDU234567, WXYU98765.
DE 7/14 Identity of active means of transport crossing the border (Box 21 - identity and nationality of the active means of transport crossing the border)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1, and C1 B&E | Type of identification: n2+ Identification number: an..35 |
1x | NA |
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).
All Declaration Categories:
Enter the identity of the active means of transport (to be) used for crossing the Union’s external border, where known.
This data element is made up of two components:
First Component: means of transport code (n2)
Enter the two-digit code appropriate to the means of transport to be declared from the list below:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 10 | IMO Ship identification number |
| 11 | Name of the seagoing vessel |
| 20 | Wagon number |
| 30 | Vehicle registration number |
| 40 | IATA flight number |
| 41 | Aircrafts registration number |
| 80 | European vessel identification number (ENI code) |
| 81 | Name of the inland waterway’s vessel |
Second Component: transport identity details (an..35)
Using the table below, enter the required information relating to the mode of transport used:
| Mode of Transport Used | Details to be declared |
|---|---|
| Sea and inland waterway transport | Name of vessel or IMO Ship Identification Number |
| Air transport | Number and date of the flight. Where there is no flight number, enter the aircrafts registration number |
| Road transport | Vehicle Registration Number |
| Rail transport | Wagon Number |
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 seagoing 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.
If exact details are not available when the declaration is lodged, unknown may be entered, but details must be entered later. If this cannot be provided, finalised Goods Movement Reference (GMR) containing the Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) and DUCR of the declaration will be sufficient to meet the requirement.
If you are authorised to use a Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) Movement Reference Number (MRN) in your GMR Box 18 of the transit declaration must be completed with the correct transport identification.
Finalised GMR with the VRN, Transit Declaration with the correct transport identification will be acceptable for this requirement.
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 (—).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 and B2 | a2 | 1x | NA |
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).
All Declaration Categories:
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 active means of transport crossing the border, declared in DE 7/14 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.
DE 7/18: Seal number (ex-Box D)
| Declaration Categories | Field format | No. of occurrences at header level | No. of occurrences at item level |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1, B2, C1 C&F and C1 B&E | Number of seals: n..4 + Seal identifier: an..20 |
No. of seals: 1x Seal identifier: 9999x |
NA |
This data element is only required on a combined EXS and pre-departure declaration.
Additional Declaration type Y & Z (DE 1/2):
This data element is not required on a supplementary declaration.
All Declaration Categories:
Enter the total number of seals used, followed by the individual seal identification numbers (where applicable).
Where no seals are used:
- In Number of seals, enter: 0
- In Seal Identifier, enter: NOSEALS