CDSSG04320 - Navigating the Tariff, Step 3 - Requested and Previous Procedures

The Procedure Code is a 4-digit Code and is declared in DE 1/10.

Procedure Codes are made up of 4-digits that provide information about:

  • The procedure that the goods are being entered to
  • Any previous procedure that the goods were held under
  • The type of declaration or movement taking place.
For import and export declarations:
  • The 1st and 2nd digits identify the procedure the goods are being placed into (the requested procedure), for example 40 to indicate a release to free circulation
  • The 3rd and 4th digits identify, if any, the procedure the goods were last declared to (the previous procedure), for example 71, to indicate the goods were previously held in a customs warehouse.
For Customs Clearance Requests (CCR made using a C21 data set):
  • The 1st and 2nd digit will be 00 to indicate a clearance request is being made
  • The 3rd digit will indicate what type of movement is taking place, e.g., 1 indicates an export clearance request
  • The 4th digit will indicate the reason for the clearance request, e.g. 6, a request to release goods under a transit procedure
Other procedures:

Final Supplementary Declarations (FSD) and Bulked Import Reduced Data set (BIRDS) declarations are also identified by a Procedure Code, however, these are standalone types of declarations that only have a single Procedure Code option and do not follow the rules above.

The Index Lists of which 4-digit procedure codes can be used are provided in Appendix 1 for the each specific movement type. The Index Lists can be found in the first link of the page for each Appendix 1.

Requested Procedures:

The first two digits identify the procedure the goods are being placed into. These are restricted to certain Movement Types and Declaration Categories, please see sections CDSSG04330, CDSSG04340 and CDSSG09030 for more details.

4-Digit Procedure Codes

Once the Requested Procedure has been identified, the remaining digits of the Procedure Code should be identified using the Index Lists. Only certain combinations of 4-digit codes are permitted. These are listed under the Requested Procedure Series within the Appendix 1 Index Lists for the specific Movement Type. For example, the only valid combinations permitted at Re-import are:

Requested Procedure 61: Re-importation with simultaneous release to free circulation  
Code Description of Procedure
6110 Release to RGR for goods previously permanently exported
6111 Release to RGR for IP equivalent goods previously permanently exported
6121 Re-import after OP
6122 Re-import after OP for goods not covered by 61 21 (for example, OP textiles)
6123 Release to RGR
6131 Re-import of previously exported IP goods

More Guidance on selecting Procedure Codes

Please see sections CDSSG04360 and CDSSG09040 for more details.