Whether you book through our website, our Freight Booking Office (FBO) or through EDI, the objective is to get the booking information onto our system, and in turn onto the Port Community Systems of RX Seaport (Belgium) and Destin8 (UK).
In parallel, you or a nominated customs agent acting on your behalf will also need to make customs declarations to Belgian and UK authorities and also supply this information to RX Seaport and Destin8. These systems will then reconcile all the information, thereby facilitating the clearance of your goods.
A full step by step walkthrough of this process is below.
Initial Steps
- Register for an EORI number
- Responsibility for the import and export declarations
- Make your booking with P&O Ferries
- are shipping an empty unit;
- intend to make a full customs declaration; or
- intend to ship goods under the Common Transit Convention.
- Pre-lodge customs declarations
- Belgian export process
- UK import process
- From 1 January 2021: Only controlled goods such as high-risk products of animal origin, high-risk food and feed not of animal origin, and goods not cleared in the EU prior to movement into the UK, will require full import declarations to enter the UK.
- From 1 April 2021: There will be additional requirements for Products of Animal Origin, such as the introduction of Health Certificates. If your vehicle contains high-risk animal or plant products, you should ensure that the driver has the necessary health certificate(s).
- From 1 July 2021: Full import controls on all goods.
- Provide UK customs information to P&O Ferries (if applicable)
- Animal or Plant Products
If you are moving goods into or out of Belgium, you will need an EU EORI number. If you do not already have one, you can obtain it from the customs authority in the EU country where you submit your first customs declaration. If your business is also responsible for completing the import declaration when the goods are imported into the UK, you will also need an UK EORI number - you can apply here. You only need to register once for each.
Determine whether you will submit import and/or export declarations to each customs authority yourself or whether you will use a forwarder or customs agent for this. You must decide with your supply-chain partners as to who is responsible for the relevant declaration documentation.
Make your initial booking in the same way you always have. Please inform us if you:
Depending on the type of goods you may need to submit additional information about your booking, consignment and goods. If you have made your booking online or via the FBO, you will also need to submit this information via the P&O Ferries Freight Portal. If you have made an EDI booking, this information will be automatically sent to the relevant P&O system without needing to be input into the P&O Ferries Freight Portal.
To add or change Multiple Load Lines (MLL) to a booking this can be done using the latest version (v37) of EDI or through the P&O Ferries Freight Portal. Please note that the weight in the initial booking must be the same as the cumulative weight of multiple load lines and all hazardous goods must still be booked through the relevant Freight Booking Office (FBO).
You will need to pre-lodge an export declaration with Belgian customs and an import declaration with HMRC. You can either do this directly or via a nominated customs agent on your behalf. If you are moving goods via the Transit Convention, you will need a Belgian export declaration and a transit declaration.
Exports from Belgium to the UK must receive export clearance in Belgium and must be pre-declared for importation into the UK via the Belgian Port Community System of RX Seaport. Please also ensure that you or your nominated agent notify all customs documents via RX Seaport.
If you have not already done so, register with RX Seaport ahead of the end of the transition period and familiarise yourself with the new process for exporting goods from Belgium. When this information is submitted to RX Seaport, P&O Ferries will then automatically receive the relevant EU documents and reference numbers.
The UK Government is phasing in border controls at Tilbury following the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
This means that full customs declarations will only be required from 1 July 2021. Standard goods brought in before then will still require full import declarations, but these can be submitted to HMRC after being brought into the country. Likewise, the UK will waive Safety and Security declarations during this period six-month grace period.
This step must be completed within the current booking cut-off times and prior to your unit (accompanied or un-accompannied unit) arriving at the port. The cut-off for bookings information and the supply of Customs details/documentation is 1200hrs on the day of departure. This is to ensure that all information is provided so that your vehicle/unit is shipped on your booked departure once Permission to Progress is authorised (P2P).
This does NOT affect your export check-in/drop off times and all vessel cut-off times will remain as they do today.
If you are shipping goods prior to 1 July 2021 that are subject to UK Import Customs Clearance as set out above, or if you are shipping goods under Transit from 1 January 2021, you will need to advise the Freight Booking Office that this is the case and subsequently supply P&O Ferries with the relevant documentation relating to the shipment, which P&O Ferries will upload into the UK Port Community System of Destin8. If you have booked via EDI, this information will be supplied to us directly via the EDI process.
If your vehicle contains high-risk animal or plant products, you should ensure that the driver has the necessary health certificate(s). From 1 April 2021, any animal or plant products must have the necessary health certificate(s). For more information, please see the UK Government’s guidance on moving animals and animal products and plants and plant products post-Brexit.
Prior to arrival at Zeebrugge
Units will not be permitted for loading onto the ship if required Export Declarations have been submitted in RX Seaport. Please also ensure that the driver has the necessary plant/animal health certificates if applicable.
Day of Travel Process
Upon arrival at Zeebrugge
Drivers should then complete our standard check-in process and move to the loading lanes in preparation to board the vessel (accompanied) or take the trailer where instructed within the yard (unaccompanied) prior to loading.
During the sailing
Upon commencement of the voyage, P&O Ferries will compile an import manifest which will in turn initiate the UK import clearance process. You or your nominated agent (the declarant) will then be able to self-nominate the import consignment using the transaction CSN (Consignment Self-Nomination) function within the Port Community System of Destin8. There are two ways of claiming the goods:
- CSN Option1: You can claim via inputting a Unit ID, Bill of Lading (P&O Ferries Booking Reference) or UCN. If multiple consignments share the same P&O Ferries Waybill/Booking Number, then all will be displayed for you to select appropriately.
- CSN Option 2: If you are looking to claim multiple consignments you can use this option to enter the UVI and/or the cargo broker badge code. This will list all consignments matching these criteria for you to view and select. Please note that you can use transaction TRC to gain the UVI and cargo broker code.
Upon arrival at Tilbury
Once the vessel arrival has been notified to Destin8 by the terminal operator, Destin8 will send all entries to HMRC’s CHIEF system relating to that voyage. CHIEF then returns a route and subject to their checks, clears the consignments, with Destin8 generating a release note authorising the goods can depart from the Terminal.
Until 1 July 2021, HMRC will allow importers of standard goods to claim goods without the need to provide a full customs declaration at the point of release using a simplified data set via an entry in their electronic commercial records (known as Entry in Declarant's Records – EIDR). To check whether your goods would be eligible for simplified declarations for imports, please consult the UK Government guidance.
Transaction code RRE (Removal Request) can be used by you or your nominated agent in Destin8 to identify a UCN as being EIDR and allow removal of the goods from the Import Terminal in the UK.
If required, health inspections of animals and animal products and plants and plant products will take place prior to exiting the port.
Transit Process for UK import
For Transit movements into the UK, P&O Ferries will manifest the cargo per status and how you or your nominated agent have declared the goods to us, e.g. T1 transit. Destin8 will place an automatic local Border Force hold on T1 cargo – this can be released manually by Border Force in Destin8 to confirm they have discharged the TAD.
The Customs Entry is required for the cargo and is received separately – this provides a two-stage process for Transit cargo to prevent release from the Port.
Throughout these processes, reports are provided in real time on status changes. The TRX (tracking) transaction in Destin8 is available to all company types including guest users. It allows access to cargo status information. P&O Ferries as the Cargo Broker have agreed to make this information available for our customers and their nominated agents for information purposes.
Information on ‘functional’ and ‘how to use’ support for Destin8 is provided by MCP/destin8 Customer Services Help Desk on +44(0)1394 600205 or e-mail to help@destin8.co.uk. The full list of costs can be found on the MCP website.
