CHIEF

CHIEF - Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight

The UK Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system records the movement of goods by land, air and sea. It allows importers, exporters and freight forwarders to complete customs formalities electronically and automatically checks for entry errors.

What happened to CHIEF?

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) built the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) to replace CHIEF, and traders have moved their import and export declarations to CDS. CHIEF is no longer the system for new declarations.

CHIEF recorded the movement of goods by land, air, and sea and checked entries for errors automatically. Businesses that look at older records may still see CHIEF referenced in past declarations and customs documents.

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