Your 30-day path to a fully audited customs operation
You have signed. Now we move. This guide walks you through what happens between today and your first live audit cycle, what we do, what we need from you, and what you receive at the end of each week.
Three things we have already done for you
Most platforms ask you to do the heavy lifting. We have pre-built the parts that normally take months, so your implementation starts well past the usual setup work.
Pre-built data connections
Direct links to HMRC CDS, EU national customs systems and US CBP ACE, plus established broker data feeds. No bespoke integration project.
Modular, no-tech-required setup
No code to write. No IT project to schedule. We configure the modules you need, you authorise the data flow, the system goes live.
A dedicated team at every step
Your named implementation lead, your customs compliance specialist and a licensed broker partner walk every week with you. You are never working it out alone.
Week by week, from kick-off to first audit cycle
The roadmap is built around four week-long phases. Each week ends with a deliverable you can see. By day 30, your declarations are being audited automatically and you have your first findings pack in hand.
Foundation
- Kick-off call and named team introduction
- Provision your isolated tenant on AWS
- Set up your user accounts and access roles
- Issue data authorisation templates for HMRC, EU customs and CBP
- Confirm your customs regimes in scope
- Sign data authorisations for your importer and broker data
- Nominate your internal point of contact
Configuration
- Activate your data feeds from customs authorities
- Connect your nominated broker data sources
- Configure HS code library, FTA logic and duty rate engine
- Map your supporting document workflow
- Send a sample set of recent declarations
- Introduce us to your broker partners
- Confirm your supporting document standards
First data run
- Run your first full ingest cycle of live declarations
- Grade missing data and assess document completeness
- Surface initial classification and duty rate findings
- Pair findings with your licensed broker for physical audit
- Review the first set of surfaced findings
- Authorise broker engagement on flagged declarations
- Confirm your reporting cadence and recipients
Go-live
- Complete first end-to-end audit cycle
- Deliver first audit pack and recovery opportunities
- Hand over standing reporting suite
- Schedule your 60-day performance review
- Review your first audit pack and recovery summary
- Confirm any approvals needed for broker filings
- Embed your weekly review rhythm
Your embedded customs audit team, end to end
Once you are live, every declaration that flows into MyCustomsInfo® follows the same five-stage process. The first four stages are electronic and run continuously. The fifth stage brings in your licensed customs broker partner for physical document audit and amendment filing.
Data sources
- You authorise data transfer
- Electronic declarations route to MCI
- You instruct your brokers
- Supporting documents flow in
Ingest engine
- Receive data submissions
- Capture electronic declarations
- Capture supporting documents
- Match documents to declarations
Ingestion and processing
- Evaluate every declaration
- Grade missing data
- Create indexed file record
- Attach and link documents
- Validate data integrity
100% electronic audit
- Data element validation
- HS code and duty rate review
- Free Trade Agreement check
- Statistical data collation
Licensed broker review
- Physical document audit
- Findings pack issued to broker
- Broker determines next steps
- Broker files any amendment
How implementation looks in your regime
The 30-day roadmap and the audit process apply across every regime we cover. What changes is the authority, the data source and the filer of record. Switch the tab for your regime.
What we audit for you
- Every CDS declaration row reconciled against your commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading and certificates of origin
- Commodity code validation against the UK Integrated Online Tariff
- Preference eligibility checks under UK Free Trade Agreements
- Customs procedure code and additional procedure code use
- Customs value methodology and inclusion or exclusion of freight, insurance and royalties
- Identification of overpayments eligible for recovery via C285 or C2001
What you receive each cycle
- Reconciliation report by entry, by commodity code and by supplier
- Recovery pipeline showing each opportunity, value at stake and recommended route
- Errors register flagging declarations at risk of HMRC challenge
What we audit for you
- Every EU import declaration reconciled against your supporting documentation set
- CN8 classification validation against the Combined Nomenclature and TARIC measures
- Preference claims under EU Free Trade Agreements with statement on origin and REX number checks
- Customs value under UCC Article 70 including transfer pricing and assist treatment
- Anti-dumping and countervailing duty exposure across affected commodity codes
- Inland recovery opportunities by Member State
What you receive each cycle
- Pan-EU reconciliation dashboard with drill-down by Member State, by importer and by commodity
- Recovery pipeline by Member State with recommended route and limitation period
- EU CBAM compliance pack for declarations in scope
What we surface for you and your broker
- Every ACE-recorded entry reconciled against the data behind it: commercial invoice, broker entry worksheet, certificates of origin and steel and aluminum melt-and-pour or smelt-and-cast evidence where applicable
- HTSUS classification anomalies identified for licensed broker review
- Section 232 rate engine across steel, aluminum and copper, including Chapter 99 heading use and licence tracking under SIMA, AIM and CIMA
- Section 301 and IEEPA exposure across affected origins
- Customs value reconciliation including assists, royalties and inter-company adjustments
- Drawback and PSC opportunities surfaced with documentation pack
What you receive each cycle
- Findings pack issued jointly to you and your licensed broker
- Recovery pipeline by entry with recommended route, value at stake and supporting evidence
- IEEPA and Section 232 watch list of entries at risk under current proclamations
Six principles that govern how we handle your data
From the first NDA to the last day of service, your data is isolated, encrypted, logged and governed. These are not aspirational statements. They are the operating constraints built into the platform.
No commingling, ever
Schema-per-tenant in PostgreSQL with Row Level Security on every table. Collection-per-tenant in MongoDB. Dedicated S3 storage per tenant. Your dataset never shares a row, a folder or a query layer with another client.
ISO 27001 A.8.10, A.8.11Tenant-specific encryption
A dedicated AWS KMS Customer Managed Key encrypts every byte of your data at rest. Data in transit uses TLS 1.2 or higher. Your tenant's key is mathematically isolated. No other tenant can decrypt your data.
ISO 27001 A.8.24Mutual NDA before any data moves
A mutual non-disclosure agreement is signed before any sample data is exchanged during scoping. No data leaves your systems until both parties are bound. The NDA is issued from CustomsPlus Ltd as the contracting entity.
Issued in week oneDPA before any live data flows
A UK GDPR Article 28 Data Processing Agreement is signed before live data is ingested. We act as your Processor. You remain Controller. Our DPA is on standing terms aligned to the ICO model and covers sub-processor disclosure, international transfers and breach notification.
UK GDPR Article 28Audit trail with WORM protection
Every system access is logged to AWS CloudTrail in write-once-read-many storage. Logs cannot be edited, deleted or backdated, by us or by anyone else. You can request your access log at any time.
ISO 27001 A.8.15ISO 27001:2022 trajectory
All 93 Annex A controls are mapped and under active implementation. Certification target Q4 2026. Until certification, your security team can request the live control mapping document MCI-ISO-001 for review.
93 controls mappedLegal pack, issued before week one
The effort split, in plain terms
A practical view of who does what during the 30 days. Your effort is concentrated in week one, then drops off sharply.
| Activity | Owned by you | Owned by MyCustomsInfo® | Time you should plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kick-off call | Attend | Run the agenda and outputs | 60 minutes |
| Data authorisations | Sign and return | Issue, lodge and track | 30 minutes |
| Tenant provisioning | Nominate users | Provision, secure and test | 15 minutes |
| Data feed connection | Authorise broker access | Configure and test feed | 30 minutes |
| Audit rule configuration | Confirm your standards | Build and validate the rule set | 45 minutes |
| First data run | Nothing | Run, monitor, surface findings | 0 minutes |
| Findings review | Review and authorise broker action | Issue findings pack and broker briefing | 60 minutes |
| Go-live and first audit cycle | Review your audit pack | Complete audit, deliver pack, embed reporting | 45 minutes |
Required supporting documents
These are the six document types we need to run a complete audit. We accept them in any standard format and store them in your isolated tenant.
Book your 30-minute kick-off call
Pick a time that works for you. We will use the 30 minutes to confirm your regimes, agree your named team, and start week one of your roadmap.
Book your kick-off callEmail a question first