Welcome to your fortnightly bulletin for the new Trader Support Service – 22 October 2026

The new Trader Support Service (TSS) is now live for all new movements. In your first bulletin, we’ll take you through what’s new, useful guidance and support, and the key actions to take before the outgoing TSS closes. You’ll also find upcoming deadlines, details of our next webinar and an update on new EU steel melt and pour requirements.

Contents:

1: Welcome to the new Trader Support Service

As of 20 October, all new goods movements must be created on the new TSS. Thank you for your efforts in preparing for the new service.

Access to the outgoing TSS will be available up to and including 30 November to allow all outstanding supplementary declarations to be closed and any required data or records to be downloaded.

The new TSS will continue to facilitate the submission of customs information under the Windsor Framework to HMRC, as well as providing advice and education, including via the TSS bulletin, which will continue to be sent to subscribed TSS users every fortnight, usually on Thursdays.

These bulletins will keep you informed about updates to the new TSS, actions you need to take and relevant policy updates that could affect your goods movements.

2: What you can do on the new TSS

There are a range of features available to help you complete your declarations on the new TSS. These include:

using a CSV file to help you create multiple goods records quickly – a new feature developed in response to your feedback
paying duties for multiple declarations in one go – also new to TSS following your feedback
creating ENS and customs consignments before goods move
uploading documents to your declarations
authorising third parties to complete declarations for you
raising goods movement references (GMRs) directly on the service

Help us to further enhance your experience using the new TSS by providing feedback. We value all feedback provided and new features will be coming soon to the platform.

Register for the new service

Users who are completely new to TSS, and who do not have an existing TSS account, can now register on the new service (opens in a new tab).

To register, you will need to have an EORI number (opens in a new tab) that is not already registered on TSS.

When you’ll need to raise a support case

For some declaration journeys you will need to contact TSS for support. This includes:

transit declarations
export declarations
inventory claims including the corresponding full import declaration (called a standard declaration in the new service, previously known as a full frontier declaration)
cancelling declarations

TSS users known to have completed declarations for transit or inventory-linked movements will have received separate communications about how to raise cases for their movements in the new service

Future TSS bulletins will update you as to when you will be able to complete these journeys directly on the new TSS.

The new TSS will continue to improve, with new features added in response to your feedback.

For example, CSV file upload functionality was developed following user feedback, allowing you to upload multiple goods records and speed up the declarations process.

You can take part in our ongoing research by completing this expression of interest survey (opens in a new tab).

Share your feedback on the new TSS by either clicking on the banners displayed across the service, or by completing the feedback survey that will appear after you complete a task or receive a submission confirmation.

We will be running a live webinar on Monday 23 November 2026 to update you on the new service and address some of your most frequently asked questions about the new TSS.

The webinar will include an update on the new features and support being delivered as part of the new service, lessons learnt from the transition, and a reminder of final actions to take before the closure of the outgoing TSS on 30 November.

The webinar will be led by speakers from HMRC, Netcompany and the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade.

Please register for this event before 9am on Monday 23 November.

You can also watch recordings of previous webinars that were run ahead of the transition to the new TSS. You can find these recordings in the ‘Webinars’ section of the new TSS guidance online library.

5: Useful videos and guides to get you started

You can learn how to use the new TSS to declare goods movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland using the new TSS guidance section.

Here, you will find knowledge articles and videos about using the new TSS for:

moving different types of goods across different routes and modes of transport
completing entry summary, standard, simplified, transit, export and supplementary declarations
identifying, moving and declaring controlled and excise goods
finding commodity, document and procedure codes, and paying taxes and duties

The guidance section also includes a glossary of key terms, webinar recordings and TSS bulletins.

If you are using the new TSS for the first time, we recommend starting with these videos:

6. Download the records you need from the outgoing TSS before 30 November 2026

The outgoing TSS will close on 30 November 2026. Before it closes you will need to:

download any declaration data or records you need to keep
complete any outstanding actions for movements started on the outgoing service

Accessing your data

You can access and download your declaration data from the outgoing TSS up to and including 30 November by logging into the TSS Portal and following the instructions outlined in the ‘How to use the TSS portal’ guide on NICTA. You will find the relevant instructions on page 29 of this guide, in section 6, titled ‘Obtaining information for your goods movements in TSS’.

You can also access declaration data using HM Revenue & Customs’ free Trade Reporting and Extracting (TRE) service. To use TRE, log in using your organisation’s GOV.UK Government Gateway account (opens in a new tab) linked to your GB or XI EORI number.

7: Finding and closing supplementary declarations on the outgoing service ahead of 10 November deadline

Deadlines

To submit supplementary declarations on the outgoing TSS portal, you must do so by 10 November 2026.

The final day to review, correct, pay for, submit and close all outstanding supplementary declarations on the outgoing TSS platform is 30 November 2026.

‘Post-Movement To-Dos’ and ‘Post-Movement Submission Status’ should also continue to be checked up to and including 30 November 2026.

Finding and closing supplementary declarations

A declaration is complete only when it shows as ‘Closed’ on the outgoing TSS portal.

To check whether your declarations are closed, you need to log in to the outgoing TSS portal and then go to:

‘Goods Movements’ > ‘View a Goods Movement’ > ‘Supplementary Declarations (by consignment)’.

You should prioritise the oldest items and immediately resolve any declarations in ‘Draft’, ‘Input Required’, ‘Pending Payment’, ‘Tax Calculation Verification’, or ‘Fiscal Hold’ status.

8: NICTA closes on 30 November – where to find TSS guidance

The current NICTA website will also be closing on 30 November 2026. From 1 December, the NICTA URL will take you to a different website that is not associated with either the outgoing or the new TSS services.

Advice and useful resources for using the new TSS are available in the guidance section of the new TSS.

9: EU steel melt and pour guidance

The EU has released details of the steel melt and pour requirements that have been applied in EU tariff measures since 1 October 2026. These requirements are stipulated by the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963. This follows the commitment made in the EU Steel Regulation published in June 2026 to implement melt and pour reporting from 1 October 2026.

This guidance is being issued to assist software developers, declarants, and importers to adjust to the changes, which are relevant to certain goods movements declared into Northern Ireland.

The EU melt and pour requirements do not change the requirements for goods imported into Great Britain. As announced in the March 2026 Steel Strategy, the UK is also exploring possible melt and pour reporting requirements for steel. The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) will confirm any further developments.

If a UK reporting requirement is implemented, sufficient notice and guidance will be issued to traders. Since the March announcement, BIST has been discussing with UK industry how a potential UK reporting requirement could operate.

Country of melt and pour

The country of melt and pour is the country in which the steel was originally melted and poured. If the steel has been sufficiently processed to change its country of origin and/or country of preferential origin, then the country of melt and pour may not match the country codes declared in DE 5/15 Country of Origin and/or DE 5/16 Country of Preferential Origin. Declarants must not assume that the declared country of origin or country of preferential origin is also the country of melt and pour.

Country of melt and pour document codes

The EU tariff measure applied to relevant steel commodity codes since 1 October 2026 requires the country of melt and pour to be declared using a document code in DE 2/3:

Table showing codes to use to describe country of melt and pour.
Code	Country of melt and pour
Y376	China
Y377	India
Y378	Indonesia
Y379	Viet Nam
Y380	Malaysia
Y381	Algeria
Y382	Japan
Y383	Korea (i.e. South Korea)
Y384	Türkiye
Y385	Iran
Y386	EU
Y387	Other countries

Where there is more than one country of melt and pour, all relevant country codes should be declared. There is no requirement to indicate the proportion of the steel originating from each melt and pour country.

Supporting evidence

One or more of the following document codes must also be declared as evidence supporting the declared country of melt and pour. The evidence must also include the heat number:

Table showing what codes to use to evidence country of melt and pour.
Code	Supporting evidence
C131	Mill Test Certificate
C132	Invoice containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number
C133	Delivery note containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number
C134	Quality certificate, or clauses in implemented purchase orders or contracts, containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number
C135	Long-term declaration from the supplier containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number
C136	Cost accounting or production documents containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number
C137	Customs document from the exporting country containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number
C138	Commercial correspondence containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number
C139	Production descriptions containing information on the country of 'melt and pour' and the heat number

Preference for Mill Test Certificates

Regulation (EU) 2026/1963 sets a preference for use of C131, Mill Test Certificate. Document codes C132 to C139 are described as complementary evidence, where the Mill Test Certificate does not contain the country of melt and pour or the heat number. Forms of evidence other than a Mill Test Certificate may be used as standalone evidence where it is not possible to provide a Mill Test Certificate.

Where evidence other than a Mill Test Certificate is used, a pre-clearance documentary check may be required. Declarants are therefore advised to use a Mill Test Certificate whenever available, even if it must be requested specifically from the supplier. Any incomplete declarations could lead to further checks by HMRC.

Mandatory Requirement for Mill Test Certificates

From 1 October 2027, a Mill Test Certificate with all the required information must be provided. Other evidence will not be accepted.

Use of EIDR, UKIMS and SPIMM

Entry in Declarant’s Records (EIDR): Traders may use EIDR and declare the required document codes on the supplementary declaration. However, the relevant documentation evidencing the country of melt and pour must be held at the point of import. Use of EIDR does not remove this documentation requirement.

SPIMM and UKIMS: Steel may also use the Simplified Process for Internal Market Movements (SPIMM), but only with an Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI). The required melt and pour document codes must be provided on the IMMI. SPIMM cannot be used with EIDR or UKIMS-EIDR, and the goods must be eligible for UKIMS.

UKIMS eligibility: In practice, eligibility is likely to be limited mainly to construction sector goods and potentially small businesses able to meet the UKIMS turnover threshold for non-commercial processing.

Category and quota treatment: Where SPIMM is used, the goods will be category 2, and no quota may be claimed. If quota is being claimed, SPIMM and UKIMS cannot be used.

Background and implementation

The EU changes follow the announcement in the EU Steel Regulation adopted in June 2026 and the subsequent consultation on the evidence to be provided for the country of melt and pour, which ran in July 2026. Importers and suppliers should already be providing or submitting the information needed for these declarations.

For frontier declarations, CDS systems and software developer systems should have enabled the relevant Y376 to Y387 and C131 to C139 document codes in DE 2/3 since 1 October 2026. Guidance for administrators responsible for maintaining CDS reference