PAS 41201:2026 Readiness
A new standard for customs intermediaries. Are you ready for it?
PAS 41201:2026 is the new HMRC-sponsored standard for the firms that file customs declarations for others. It is voluntary, it takes effect on 30 June 2026, and principals will start asking whether their intermediary works to it. MyCustomsInfo® is how you evidence that you do.
For customs agents, brokers, freight forwarders, express and warehouse operators and hauliers.
A quality mark for the firm that files
PAS 41201:2026 was sponsored by HMRC and developed through BSI with the major trade bodies. It applies in the UK only and sets out, at organisational level, what a competent customs intermediary looks like, from due diligence on principals through to the audit of the declarations you submit. It is voluntary, and compliance with it cannot confer immunity from your legal obligations, but UKAS sat on the steering group, the PAS can be taken forward into a British Standard, and larger principals are expected to treat it as a procurement question.
It is not AEO, and the difference matters. AEO is the trader's own accreditation. PAS 41201 is the standard for the intermediary that files on the trader's behalf. They overlap only where you are both. If you also hold AEO, see our companion page on retaining AEO status. This page is about the filing standard.
What PAS 41201 asks of you
The standard runs across six areas, from clause 4 to clause 9. Each one is evidenced, and each one is auditable.
Good practice and auditing
Documented internal audits: an annual audit of systems and processes, and a quarterly audit of submitted declarations. Plus principal appointment, instruction and clear communication.
Due diligence
Standardised, documented checks on every principal, including EORI and VAT validation, reviewed at least yearly and kept for six years from the last declaration.
Crisis response
Documented crisis-response and resilience planning, including protocols for system outages affecting customs declarations.
Training and CPD
Induction within three months, ongoing continuing professional development, annual employee reviews and training on detecting suspicious activity.
Systems, processes and data
Standard operating procedures reviewed yearly with version control, written data policies and six-year retention of declarations, MRNs and complaints. The standard points to ISO/IEC 27001 for information security. MyCustomsInfo® is ISO 27001:2022 certified.
Transparency
Rate cards with 30 days' notice of price changes, disclosure of sub-agents and platforms, disclosure when AI is used to process a declaration, and cooperation with a principal's customs audit even after the relationship ends.
The quarterly declaration audit, exactly. Clause 4.2 sets a minimum sample of 5% of declarations, up to a maximum of 25,000 in the review period, drawn randomly to represent the spread of work and including a sample of high-risk goods subject to licences. The cap holds the workload for high-volume filers: at 500,000 declarations in a quarter, 5% reaches the 25,000 ceiling, and above that the effective rate falls below 5%.
Conform, and evidence that you conform
The standard is voluntary. Meeting it, and proving you meet it, is the work. We cover both sides.
Readiness review
A PAS 41201 readiness review against your current processes and records, with a gap report and a route to conformance.
Ongoing evidence
Most of the standard is structured data with retention rules: due-diligence records, declaration audits, complaints, six-year retention. That is hard to run on spreadsheets and shared drives, and simple on a platform built for it. MyCustomsInfo® runs the quarterly declaration sampling, holds the due-diligence and principal records, enforces the six-year retention and produces the audit-export pack when a principal's customs audit asks for cooperation.
Clause 8.1 of the standard points intermediaries to ISO/IEC 27001 for information security. MyCustomsInfo® is ISO 27001:2022 certified (certificate 513272026), with per-client data isolation and access control, so you lean on those controls rather than building them yourself.
Plain about the line. PAS 41201 is voluntary, and conforming to it does not remove any legal obligation you already carry as a declarant. MyCustomsInfo® does not file on your behalf and does not certify you. It is the tool you use to run and evidence the checks the standard asks for. The standard is your choice. The evidence is your protection.
Built for intermediary confidentiality
Intermediaries hold data for many principals. The platform is designed around that reality.
Per-principal data isolation
Each principal's declarations and records are held in isolation. No principal can see another's data, and access controls ensure only authorised personnel within your organisation can view each principal's records.
Six-year retention, enforced
PAS 41201 requires six years of records from the last declaration. The platform enforces this automatically—no manual archiving, no risk of premature deletion, no reliance on shared drives or email.
Audit-export packs
When a principal's customs authority asks for cooperation—even after the relationship ends—the platform generates a complete export of the relevant declaration data, audit findings and correction records.
Resources to take away
Use these to brief your team and audit yourself ahead of 30 June.
The AEO and compliance guide
Covers AEO retention and the PAS 41201 audit duty side by side, UK and EU.
Download the guide (PDF)Self-audit checklist
A working Excel tool with a dedicated PAS 41201 section. Audit yourself, hold the evidence, close the gaps.
Download the checklist (Excel)One-page summary
The essentials on a single page for a quick internal brief.
Download the summary (PDF)Book a PAS 41201 readiness review
A focused review of where you stand against the standard, with a gap report and a clear route to 30 June and beyond.
- Where your due diligence, auditing and records stand today
- What the quarterly declaration audit means for your volumes
- A practical route to conformance and the evidence to show it
Request a review
Tell us a little and we will arrange a call. We will not share your information.
Frequently asked questions
PAS 41201 is a voluntary standard. MyCustomsInfo® helps intermediaries evidence and run the checks it asks for. It does not file declarations, certify conformity or replace any legal obligation you hold as a declarant. Regulatory references are general information, not legal advice.