Create a UK Non-Manipulation Document

A non-manipulation document, previously named storage document, confirms that fishery products have not been altered or manipulated during their time in the UK.

The name change from storage document to non-manipulation document has been made to align with the EU’s terminology for this document.

When is a non-manipulation document required?

You must complete a non-manipulation document in the following scenarios:

• When fisheries products have been imported into the UK and stored prior to re-export.
• When a consignment enters the UK and is split into sub-consignments prior to export. Each sub-consignment must be accompanied by its own non-manipulation document.

You’ll need a separate non-manipulation document for each export.

Some fish and shellfish are excluded from the definition of ‘fishery products’ and do not need a UK non-manipulation document for export.

What you need

To create a UK non-manipulation document, you’ll need:

• a Government Gateway user ID and password
• company name and address of the exporter
• what products are being stored (and include the EU tariff commodity codes)
• departure details from the location before import into the UK
• catch certificate numbers and export weights for each product including the Net weight and the Net fishery weight
• dates and places that the products entered the UK (and transport details upon entry to the UK)
• name, address and facility approval number of each storage facility used
• method of how each storage facility stores the product (frozen, chilled or other)
• transport details for how the export will leave the UK, where it will leave from and when
• details about the point of destination
• identification numbers of the containers used to export the product

If the relevant information is not provided and passed on to the exporter, you may not be able to sell your products.

Users must provide the catch certificate(s) that pertain to the original catch, the country that issued each catch certificate, along with the document number, as well as any processing statements that pertain to the original catch, if applicable. This helps ensure that re-exported consignments meet EU traceability requirements.

Arrival to place of storage

This section captures details about the consignment’s journey before it entered storage in the UK, including the date it departed its previous location, the method of transport used, and the place of departure. It is mandatory to complete the ‘arrival at storage date’ section. This must be completed ahead of the departure from storage sections.

Consignment Details

This section is split into two parts:

• On arrival: this part records which products are being stored and their condition when they first enter the UK storage facility. This includes details such as temperature (e.g. chilled or frozen), and quantity.
• On departure: this part documents which products are being removed from storage, including any changes in quantity. This helps confirm that no manipulation has occurred during storage.

Departure from place of storage

This section captures when and how the consignment left the UK, including its destination.  This refers to the export from the UK, not the original catch or vessel. In this section the following must be recorded:

• The date the consignment leaves the UK
• The method of transport used (e.g. road, sea, air)
• The point of departure and final destination

If you have registered your business for another Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) service, you can register for the Fish Export Service by signing into your service. Go to your ‘manage account’ screen and register on the Fish Export Service by using the ‘register for more services’ button.

Before starting registration, decide who is the responsible person to register your business.

You can use an existing Government Gateway account or create a new one. Each person must have a Government Gateway account that is personal to them. Do not share Gateway accounts.

If you’re the first person to register the business, you automatically become the administrator for that business. You’ll then have permission to invite and remove other team members. Make sure that you allocate at least one other team member to an administrator account role so you can share the account management.

Find out how to register a business for the Fish Export Service.

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