Guidance

Customs Declaration Service: service availability and issues

Check the availability and any issues affecting the Customs Declaration Services.

Service availability

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Planned downtime

Thursday 31 MachMarch 2022 10:30pm9:45pm to 11:15pm

Due to scheduled maintenance you will be unable to access our online service from 10:30pm9:45pm to 11:15pm on Thursday 31 March 2022. During this time you will not be able to:

  • submit customs declarations
  • populate goods movement reference numbers

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Service issues

Problems with monthly postponed import VAT statements

We are looking into the problems some importers are having when trying to access statements to account for import VAT on VAT Returns, particularly in June 2021, September 2021 and October 2021.

If you do not have access to statements but need to complete your VAT Return, you can estimate your import VAT figures for those months.

If you do need to estimate your import VAT and can show that you followed the guidance, then HMRC will not impose penalties on errors that might occur.

Other services

Check availability and issues for other services.

Published 13 September 2019
Last updated 1524 March 2022 + show all updates
  1. Planned downtime from 9:45pm to 11:15pm on Thursday 31 March 2022 has been added.

  2. Planned downtime from 10:30pm to 11:15pm on Thursday 31 March 2022 has been added.

  3. Planned downtime for the Customs Declarations Service from 11pm on Saturday 26 February 2022 to 12:30am on Sunday 27 February 2022 has been added.

  4. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 29 January 2022 to 5am on Sunday 30 January 2022 has been added.

  5. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 29 January 2022 to 3:30am on Sunday 30 January 2022 has been added.

  6. We are making some changes to our online service from 10:30pm to 11:30pm on Friday 7 January 2022. There will be a 60 minute delay to declarations submitted during this time.

  7. Planned downtime from 9:30pm to 10:30pm on Wednesday 22 December 2021 has been added.

  8. For operational reasons, the essential maintenance on the Customs Declaration Service will now take place from Saturday 18 December 2021 9:30pm to 3am Sunday 19 December 2021. You will not be able to submit declarations during this time.

  9. Planned downtime from 10:30pm to 11:30pm on Friday 17 December 2021 has been added.

  10. Due to scheduled maintenance there will be a delay for declarations submitted from Monday 7 December 2021 10:30pm to 11:10pm. Declarations will be held in a queue until the service is resumed.

  11. Information added about monthly postponed import VAT statements.

  12. Planned downtime for the service has been updated to take place from 9:30pm on Saturday 27 November 2021 to 4:30am on Sunday 28 November 2021.

  13. Information about problems with monthly postponed import VAT statements has been updated.

  14. Information about a 120 minute delay to declarations submitted between 11pm on Thursday 18 November 2021 and 1am on Friday 19 November 2021 has been added.

  15. Planned downtime messages from 10:30pm to 11:59pm on Thursday 11 November 2021 and from 9:30pm on Saturday 27 November 2021 to 3:30am on Sunday 28 November 2021 have been updated.

  16. Planned downtime from 10:30pm to 11:59pm on Thursday 11 November 2021 and from 9:30pm on Saturday 27 November 2021 to 3:30am on Sunday 28 November 2021 has been added.

  17. A service issue about a delay to declarations when using the Customs Declarations Service on 29 October 2021 has been added.

  18. Planned downtime from 11:59pm on Wednesday 27 October 2021 to 2am Thursday 28 October 2021 has been added.

  19. Planned downtime has changed from 10pm to 10:40pm to 10:30pm to 11:10pm on Tuesday 26 October 2021.

  20. Planned downtime from 10pm to 10:40pm Tuesday 26 October 2021 has been added.

  21. The temporary restriction on the Customs Declaration Service to limit declaration to 40 data items has been lifted.

  22. An service issue affecting the Customs Declaration Service has been added.

  23. A service downtime message from 10pm to 10:35pm on Monday 18 October 2021 has been added.

  24. Planned downtime from 21:30pm on Saturday 16 October 2021 to 3:30am Sunday 17 October 2021 has been added.

  25. Planned downtime from 10pm on Thursday 9 September 2021 to 10:45pm on Thursday 9 September 2021 has been added.

  26. The planned downtime on Saturday 28 August 2021 has been postponed until 9:30pm on Saturday 4 September to 3:30am Sunday 5 September 2021.

  27. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 28 August 2021 to 3:30am Sunday 29 August 2021 has been added.

  28. The planned downtime for 31 July 2021 has been cancelled.

  29. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 7 August 2021 to 3:30am Sunday 8 August 2021 has been added.

  30. Planned downtime from 6pm to 6:30pm on Thursday 22 July 2021 has been added.

  31. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 31 July to 3:30am Sunday 1 August 2021 has been added.

  32. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 26 June 2021 to 10:30pm Saturday 26 June 2021 has been added.

  33. Planned downtime from 7pm to 8:30pm on Wednesday 2 June 2021 has been added.

  34. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 12 June to 2:30am on Sunday 13 June 2021 has been added.

  35. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 8 May to 2am on Sunday 9 May 2021 has been added.

  36. Planned downtime from 6pm to 6:45pm on Friday 23 April 2021 has been added.

  37. Planned downtime from 6:30pm on Tuesday 13 April 2021 to 6:50pm on Tuesday 13 April 2021 has been added.

  38. Information about the service issue for postponed import VAT statements has been updated.

  39. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Thursday 1 April 2021 to 2:30am on Friday 2 April 2021 has been added.

  40. Planned downtime from 10pm to 11pm on Saturday 13 March 2021 has been added.

  41. A service issue about postponed import VAT statements has been added.

  42. Planned downtime from 8pm on Wednesday 3 March 2021 to 8:45pm on Wednesday 3 March 2021 has been added.

  43. Added more information about the areas affected by the downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 27 February 2021 to 2am on Sunday 28 February 2021.

  44. Planned downtime from Saturday 27 February 2021 9:30pm to 2am Sunday 28 February 2021 has been added.

  45. Planned downtime from 9:30pm on Saturday 27 February 2021 to 2am on Sunday 28 February 2021 has been added.

  46. Planned downtime from 5pm to 9pm on Saturday 30 January 2021 has been added.

  47. Planned downtime from 10pm to 11pm on Thursday 31 December 2020 has been added.

  48. Planned downtime from 7pm to 9pm on Tuesday 22 December 2020 has been added.

  49. Planned downtime from 2pm on Tuesday 22 December 2020 to 2am Wednesday 23 December 2020 has been added.

  50. Planned downtime on Saturday 28 November 2020 from 5:10pm to 5:40pm for registrations and submissions, and from 5pm to 8:30pm for declarations.

  51. Planned downtime for Wednesday 11 November 2020 from 6pm to 8pm has been added.

  52. Planned downtime for Saturday 24 October 2020 between 9am and 1pm has been added.

  53. Planned downtime has been added for Saturday 26 September 2020 between 9am and 3pm

  54. There is no planned downtime. The service is live.

  55. Planned downtime for Friday 11 September 2020 6pm to 7am Monday 14 September 2020 has been added.

  56. Planned downtime from 9am to 3pm on Saturday 22 August 2020 has been added.

  57. Planned downtime from 9am to 3pm on Saturday 25 July 2020 has been added.

  58. Planned downtime from 12:30pm to 9:30pm on Saturday 20 June 2020 has been added.

  59. Planned downtime from midday on Thursday 30 April 2020 to 9am Friday 1 May 2020 has been added.

  60. The planned downtime from 5pm Thursday 26 March 2020 to 2am on Friday 27 March 2020 has been updated. The system will be unavailable from midday on Thursday 26 March 2020 to 9am on Friday 27 March 2020. A service issues message has also been added.

  61. Planned downtime from 5pm Thursday 26 March 2020 to 2am on Friday 27 March 2020 has been added.

  62. Planned downtime added for Thursday 13 February 2020 5pm to 00:35am on Friday 14 February 2020.

  63. Planned downtime for 5pm on Thursday 23 January until 1am on Friday 24 January has been added.

  64. Notice of planned down time added for 5.30pm to 11pm on Tuesday 10 December.

  65. Planned downtime for Thursday 21 November 2018 5pm to 11pm has been added.

  66. First published.