Registering for the Trader Support Service
Find out who can register for the Trader Support Service and what information you may need.
Page contents:
- Traders
- Carriers and hauliers
- Customs agents, intermediaries or freight forwarders
- Express operators (previously called fast parcel operators)
- Registering a new account for your business
- What you’ll need to register
Traders
If you are involved in buying or selling goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or purchasing goods being imported into Northern Ireland from the rest of the world (excluding the EU), the Trader Support Service can help you:
- create customs declarations for goods moving to and from Northern Ireland
- use simplified processes under the Windsor Framework, if your business is eligible
Carriers and hauliers
If you are responsible for transporting goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, the Trader Support Service can help you submit:
- entry summary declarations
- goods movement references (GMRs)
You can also use the Trader Support Service to create customs declarations for goods you are moving on behalf of your customer:
- from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
- from Northern Ireland to Great Britain
Customs agents, intermediaries or freight forwarders
If you act on behalf of traders to manage customs processes for their goods movements, they can authorise you in the Trader Support Service to:
- access their details
- view and manage their declarations
- submit new declarations on their behalf
Express operators (previously called fast parcel operators)
Most consumer parcel movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are now supported by the UK Carrier (UKC) Scheme (opens in a new tab).
However, parcels sent from a business in Great Britain to a business in Northern Ireland have the same requirements as goods moved using freight.
This means you can use the Trader Support Service in the same way as a carrier or haulier.
Registering a new account for your business
If your business does not currently have a Trader Support Service account, you will need to register it. You must register your business for the Trader Support Service before you can add other users to the account.
The person who registers the business will become the account administrator. The account administrator can manage the company account and its users.
Depending on your role, you can register your company as a:
- trader or a carrier
- customs agent
Once your account has been set up, you can sign in to the Trader Support Service.
The first time you sign in, you will be asked to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA). You will be shown a QR code to scan using an authenticator app on your mobile device. Follow the instructions in the service to complete the set-up.
Begin your registration by visiting the Trader Support Service homepage.
What you’ll need to register
The information you need to provide will depend on your business and how you plan to use the Trader Support Service.
You will need the following information:
- business name
- business address
- business type
- VAT number
- EORI number
- email address
- contact number
Depending on how you plan to use the Trader Support Service, you may also need to provide some of the following information when registering.
EORI numbers
You will need to provide an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number when registering for the Trader Support Service.
For more information about which EORI number you need, visit using EORI numbers when moving goods to and from Northern Ireland.
If your business is part of a group
If your business is part of a group, you may also need to provide your parent organisation's EORI number. This is the EORI number of the main company that owns or controls your business.
You may also need to provide this if your parent organisation holds customs authorisations or duty deferment accounts that you use.
UK Internal Market Scheme authorisation
If you want to submit the Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI) (opens in a new tab) through the Trader Support Service, you will need to provide your UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) authorisation (opens in a new tab) details when registering.
Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme
If you want to use the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) when submitting an IMMI through the Trader Support Service, you will need to provide your NIRMS number when registering.
This allows eligible goods moving under NIRMS to be declared as standard goods on the IMMI.
Simplified Customs Declaration Process (SCDP) authorisations
The Trader Support Service has authorisations that allow you to use the Simplified Customs Declaration Process (SCDP) (opens in a new tab) through the service.
If your business holds its own Simplified Declaration Process (SDP) authorisation or Entry in the Declarant's Records (EIDR) authorisation and you want to use it instead, you can add your authorisation details when registering.
Find out more about using the Simplified Customs Declaration Process in the Trader Support Service.
Customs warehousing authorisation
If your business holds a customs warehousing authorisation (opens in a new tab) and you want to use it for movements in the Trader Support Service, you will need to add your authorisation details when registering.
Excise warehouse authorisation
If your business holds an excise warehouse authorisation (opens in a new tab) and you want to use it for movements in the Trader Support Service, you will need to add your authorisation details when registering.
Customs Supervised Exports (CSE) authorisation
If your business holds a Customs Supervised Export (CSE) authorisation (opens in a new tab) and you want to use it when submitting export declarations in the Trader Support Service, you must add your CSE authorisation details when registering.
Adding a duty deferment account
If you hold your own duty deferment account and want to use it to pay customs charges for goods movements submitted in the Trader Support Service, you will need to add the account details including your:
- deferment account number
- guarantee reference number
- DPO number (Deferment of Payment authorisation)
You must also give the Trader Support Service authority to use your duty deferment account (opens in a new tab).