CDS is not a niche tool. If your business moves goods across the UK border, CDS applies to you.
Who files through CDS
Importers, exporters, freight forwarders, and customs agents all use CDS, because it is now the only platform for UK import and export declarations. There is no CHIEF fallback and no alternative route. The background on how this became the case is in this UK CDS platform guide.
Why it applies universally
CHIEF closed for imports in September 2022 and for exports in June 2024. From those points on, every declaration, regardless of business size or trade volume, has gone through CDS.
What this means in practice
A small business filing occasional declarations and a large freight forwarding operation filing thousands work within the same structured data model, the same validation process, and the same platform.
FAQs
Do small traders need to use CDS? Yes, it applies to any UK import or export declaration.
Is there an alternative to CDS for UK customs? No, it is the only live declaration platform.
See how the platform serves different trade volumes. Watch a demo
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