CDS Exports Migration Update - August 2023

HMRC have just announced a revised approach to the migration of exports from CHIEF to CDS.

This revised approach, agreed after consultation with trade, will allow extra time for the inventory linking component of CDS exports to be more fully tested and stabilised.

It will be in two stages. It is likely that individual forwarders could process exports in both.

Stage 1

Those who are able to migrate to CDS by 30 November 2023 are expected to do so. This includes those who submit non-inventory linked exports (essentially those for which the goods are exported through GVMS locations and the DUCR is not associated to a MUCR)

Many Sequoia users are already submitting these live CDS export declarations, and TDR (CDS test declarations for exports) is available for everyone to use. We strongly recommend that you make use of this functionality to familiarise yourselves with the requirements of CDS exports.

We would also encourage you to begin making any non-inventory linked export declarations to CDS as soon as possible. Live, non-inventory linked CDS export declarations are supported in Sequoia from release 5.33 but are not enabled by default when you upgrade.

For information on how to enable live CDS export declarations in Sequoia, visit the Sequoia Resource Centre.

Stage 2

Migration of inventory linked exports to CDS at scale will now begin in January 2024 and will complete by 30 March 2024.

We are in the process of completing the work in Sequoia to enable this functionality. We will let you know as soon as this is completed.

Read the full announcement from HMRC here

Unlike imports, more than one export declaration (DUCR) can be linked to one inventory consignment (represented by a MUCR) and therefore, until all traders have migrated to CDS, declarations linked to the same consignment can be spread across both CHIEF and CDS.

Add to that the fact that those arriving and departing goods at the frontier and inland (sheds, ports and DEPs) could also be reporting to either CHIEF or CDS and the overall view of cargo, and whether or not all of it can proceed to export, requires a fairly complex system to synchronise across both platforms.

Whilst that system has substantially been developed already by HMRC, there are some issues with parts of it which need to be fixed before it is ready to be deployed in a live environment.

In addition to this, the system needs all inventory linking messages (associations, disassociations, close MUCR) and all arrival and departure messages to be directed to it by all trade and CSP systems, including Sequoia. That requires development by these trade systems.