UK · HMRC · Customs Declaration Service
Get your UK customs declaration data from HMRC
Every import and export declaration filed under your EORI is held by HMRC, and you can request it. This guide covers what you need, how to request each report, what the four report types contain, and how to read them.
Checked against GOV.UK guidance on 20/08/2026
What the HMRC customs data service is
HMRC operates a self-service portal that returns your own Customs Declaration Service (CDS) records as downloadable reports. It covers import and export declarations filed under your EORI number, whoever filed them. Traders use it to keep records, evidence an audit, check what a broker has declared on their behalf, and see duty and tax at line level.
Figures above describe HMRC’s service, not the MyCustomsInfo® platform. Source: GOV.UK, last updated 25/03/2026.
Northern Ireland and XI EORI holders: HMRC extended the service to XI EORI numbers on 25/03/2026. A good deal of third-party guidance still says GB only and turns XI holders away. If you hold an XI EORI, or both a GB and an XI EORI, you can request reports for each.
What you need before you start
Three things. If you already import or export and file through a broker, you will normally have all three.
An EORI number
An Economic Operators Registration and Identification number starting GB or XI. You can apply for an EORI on GOV.UK if you do not hold one.
A Government Gateway account
An organisation or individual user ID for your business. Use your own credentials, not your broker’s or agent’s.
A CDS subscription
Your Government Gateway account must be subscribed to the Customs Declaration Service before it can return reports.
If you still need to subscribe to CDS
HMRC asks for the following. Have it to hand before you begin.
- Your EORI number, or apply for one during the subscription
- Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)
- The business address held on HMRC’s customs records
- Your National Insurance number, if you are an individual or sole trader
- The date you started your business
HMRC states that access is granted either within two hours, or within five working days where further checks are needed. Subscribe to CDS on GOV.UK.
Worth knowing: the business address must match what HMRC holds on its customs records, not simply your current trading address. A mismatch here is the most common reason a subscription stalls.
How to request your customs data
Each request returns one report type for one date range. Requesting a full year means several requests, so it is worth setting up a routine rather than doing it once.
- 1
Open the service on GOV.UK
Go to Get customs data for import and export declarations and select ‘Start now’.
- 2
Sign in with Government Gateway
Use the user ID and password for the business whose data you are requesting.
- 3
Choose ‘Request a report’
The dashboard also holds ‘Reports in progress’, ‘Available to download’, and the third-party access controls covered further down this page.
- 4
Select the report type
Import item, import header, import tax lines, or export item. Each is a separate request. See the table below for what each contains.
- 5
Set the date range
Up to 31 consecutive days per report, starting from any date within the last four years. Align each request to a calendar month so no day is missed and the file names stay predictable.
- 6
Confirm and submit
Check the EORI, report type and dates before submitting. A request with the wrong range costs you another wait.
- 7
Download the CSV
HMRC advises a report can take up to 72 hours. You are notified when it is ready, and it then appears under ‘Available to download’ as a CSV file. Download promptly and store it with your customs records.
Best practice: keep a simple request log with the EORI, report type, date range, date requested and date downloaded. If HMRC opens an audit, being able to show a complete, gap-free set of monthly extracts is worth more than the data itself.
What each report contains
The four reports answer different questions. Most traders request all four for the same period, because a duty or classification issue is rarely visible in one of them alone.
| Report | What it holds | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|
| Import item | Line-level detail for each import declaration, including commodity codes, values and quantities. | Classification review, value checks, spotting the same product declared under different codes. |
| Import header | Declaration-level summaries with reference numbers and dates. | Reconciling entry numbers against your own records and your broker’s billing. |
| Import tax lines | Duty and tax amounts by line. | Financial reconciliation, checking preference and relief were applied, identifying overpaid duty. |
| Export item | Export declaration data with destinations and goods descriptions. | Evidencing exports, checking licensable goods, supporting origin and drawback positions. |
What the data will not tell you. The CDS extract is what was declared. It is not the invoice, the packing list, the licence or the origin statement. A declaration can be internally consistent, arrive clean in the CSV, and still be wrong against the documents behind it. Comparing the declaration to the underlying documents, line by line, is where errors surface.
What does checking it manually actually cost?
Matching every declaration line against its supporting documents is the part most teams underestimate. Work out the cost against your own volumes before you decide how to handle it.
Open the audit cost calculatorGive MyCustomsInfo® read-only access
HMRC lets you nominate a third party to request reports on your behalf. Nominate MyCustomsInfo® and your declaration data reaches the platform without you running monthly extracts by hand.
Step 1 — accept the Data Processing Agreement
We are required to have a written processing agreement in place before we can receive your data. It takes a minute, and the access instructions appear as soon as it is recorded.
Frequently asked questions
Your data is only the starting point
Downloading the CSV tells you what was declared. It does not tell you whether it matched the invoice, the origin statement or the licence. That comparison is what MyCustomsInfo® runs, on every declaration rather than a sample, with the source document attached to every finding.
Talk to us about your declarations