Electronic customs data Frequently asked questions for customers - Updated March 2019 - Royal Mail
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Electronic customs data Frequently asked questions for customers Updated March 2019
Contents
Electronic customs data requirement .......................................................................................................................... 3
Why are we asking you to provide electronic customs data? ......................................................................................... 3
FAQs .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3
What is electronic customs data and what data needs to be provided? ................................................................. 3
How do I provide it? .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Royal Mail Click & Drop and Pro Shipping ................................................................................................................ 4
Your own shipping solution (COSS), Shipping APIs (SAPI) and iShipper ................................................................... 5
International Franking Users ..................................................................................................................................... 5
What is the Trade Tariff or Harmonised System (HS) Code and where can I find it? ............................................... 5
Why should I provide the Trade Tariff (HS) Code? ................................................................................................... 5
Will this same level of detail be required on the CN22 / CN23? .............................................................................. 5
Do I need to supply information for goods being posted to both the EU and the rest of the world? ..................... 6
Will items now take longer to leave the UK? ............................................................................................................ 6
How will this affect overseas shipping pricing from Royal Mail? ............................................................................. 6
What if I cannot provide any electronic data because I am currently using a manual process? ............................. 6
What is the difference between a CN22 and a CN23?.............................................................................................. 6
Are there any changes to the CN22 / CN23 documents? ......................................................................................... 6
Does the CN22 / CN23 still need to be displayed on the outside of items? ............................................................. 6
I use a 3rd party shipping system such as Metapack; what do I need to do? .......................................................... 6
Will there be any additional charges for manually input customs data? ................................................................. 7
Does the requirement to provide data electronically apply to large letters or ‘flats’? ............................................ 7
Will there be any changes to barcodes? ................................................................................................................... 7
I sell using Amazon / eBay and can’t access customers’ email addresses or mobile numbers; what do I do? ........ 7
Concerned about Data Protection? .......................................................................................................................... 7
What good looks like: how to populate the required fields. .................................................................................... 7
*If the UK leaves the EU with 'No Deal', items destined for the EU will be treated the same as items bound for non-EU
destinations.Electronic customs data requirement
As we've been communicating since August 2017, Royal Mail requires you to provide customs data electronically
when sending items (excluding items of correspondence) to destinations that are not in the same customs union as
the UK*. This requirement came into force on 1 January 2019 and is reflected in our user guides. This customs data
is like the information required for Customs declaration forms CN22 and CN23.
If you haven't been able to make these changes, you won't be prevented from posting with us, but please note the
risk of items being negatively affected when they arrive in the destination country.
Please contact your Royal Mail Account Manager if you need further support with providing electronic customs data.
Or, if you don't have a dedicated Account Manager, please send a message to internationalservice@royalmail.com.
We can then work through the options to get you on board with these changes. If your query relates to shipping
platform specifications, please contact shippingsupport@royalmail.com.
Why are we asking you to provide electronic customs data?
Electronic customs data is required to ensure that existing, emerging and future legislative, security and customs
requirements in overseas destinations are met. Some countries are applying penalties, delaying or returning items in
the absence of the required data and we want to help you avoid this. More information on international customs
data requirements, such as legislation passed by the United States Government to mandate electronic customs data,
as well as details about requirements in other destinations, can be found here.
What are the benefits?
There are also real commercial benefits to providing complete and accurate electronic customs data, as we've seen
that customers are receiving fewer complaints and less delays in customs, resulting in faster and more successful
deliveries. Providing complete and accurate electronic customs data will
• allow you to be ready for and comply with emerging and future legislative changes and individual country
requirements
• avoid delays and/or penalty charges
• enable an easier and slicker customs clearance and import process for recipients as we have seen that customers
are receiving fewer complaints, less delays in customs, resulting in faster and more successful deliveries as a
result
• allow you to access export delivery features such as notifications and delivery choice
Providing electronic data will also be important if the UK leaves the EU customs union under Brexit changes. We will
be communicating soon on our Brexit preparations to ensure our networks keep flowing freely post Brexit.
Furthermore, the deadline for implementation of the European Union Customs Code is at the end of 2020, which
includes legislation requiring electronic customs data to be submitted.
FAQs
What is electronic customs data and what data needs to be provided?
The requirement to provide customs data by attaching a physical Customs declaration form CN22 or CN23 to items
(excluding items of general correspondence) you're sending to destinations that are not in the same customs union
as the UK* is nothing new. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) requests that these are completed accurately and in
*If the UK leaves the EU with 'No Deal', items destined for the EU will be treated the same as items bound for non-EU
destinations.full, to facilitate a rapid clearance. Since 1 January 2018 it's also been a requirement to add a 13-digit item identifier
(known as a S10 barcode) on every item.
What is new, this year, is that you'll now need to provide the customs data to us electronically.
A reminder of the information you were already What’s new as of 1 January 2019
requested to provide prior to 1 January 2019
• A fully completed Customs declaration form • The data you were already
CN22 or CN23 for items sent outside of the EU, requested to provide will now also
including need to be provided electronically
• Sender details (name, address, and if in the pre-advice you send to us
available, telephone number)
• Recipient details (name, address
including destination country, and if
available, telephone number and email)
• Item details in the form of an accurate
and concise description of individual
goods, quantity and measurements
used, weight and value. It is absolutely
critical that each item is shown as a
separate line entry
• A Harmonised System (HS) Trade Tariff
code; find out more about Royal Mail's
Managed HS Classification Services
here, contact your Account Manager or
email us at
internationalservice@royalmail.com for
further information
• Country of origin of contents, which
refers to where the goods were
produced or assembled
• Provide the amount of postage paid and
separately specify other charges such as
insurance costs
• A Universal Postal Union (UPU) compliant S10
barcode so the electronic customs data can be
linked to the exported goods
• For tracked export goods, in addition a 2D
barcode
How do I provide it?
The way you provide electronic customs data depends on which shipping system you use:
Royal Mail Click & Drop and Pro Shipping
Our user-friendly online platforms, Click & Drop and Pro Shipping allow you to enter the information
required to generate electronic customs data files and also print the required labels to send items abroad,
incl. barcodes for your parcel, CN22 or CN23 and a dispatch note. Watch our video for a guide on how to
complete all the required customs information using Click & Drop.
*If the UK leaves the EU with 'No Deal', items destined for the EU will be treated the same as items bound for non-EU
destinations.Some benefits of using Click & Drop or Pro Shipping:
• You enter the data into the system, which will print out all the required labels for you to affix onto the
parcel – ensuring you meet the requirements for all destinations
• You should no longer have to write labels out manually which will save you time
• If you post a lot of items, you can build up a product catalogue, so that you can enter repeat information
with a click instead of having to type / write it out again for each item
• As the data is sent ahead of the item, this should allow for a more seamless Customs process in the
country of destination
Your own shipping solution (COSS), Shipping APIs (SAPI) and iShipper
We have also updated the COSS and SAPI specifications so that you can provide the right data fields. This
includes the addition of the item identifier (UPU standard S10 1D barcode) that is required for overseas
Posts to be able to access the data and provide it to their import customs agency for clearance. iShipper
follows the same specifications as COSS and has also been updated.
International Franking Users
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) has mandated that any international items containing goods must have an
item unique identifier (known as a S10 barcode) attached. Items that do not have an S10 barcode attached
may be delayed or even returned to the sender. We want to ensure that this doesn’t happen to franked
items and that franked items meet international mail standards for goods being sent abroad.
To make this easy for franking customers, S10 barcode labels have been provided to franking customers.
Simply stick one label onto each item you are sending abroad containing goods, along with a physical CN22
or CN23 customs form (for destinations that aren't in the same customs union as the UK*). To order more
labels visit royalmail.com/mailsupplies. In future the barcodes will need to contain electronic customs data
and we will be in touch when a process has been finalised.
What is the Trade Tariff or Harmonised System (HS) Code and where can I find it?
The Trade Tariff or HS Code is a set of digits used to categorise goods for Customs charging. Royal Mail provides an
HS code categorisation service for all your items. Please contact your Account Manager or, if you haven’t got a
dedicated Account Customer, contact us at internationalservices@royalmail.com for further information. Royal
Mail’s Click & Drop allows you to save the HS code when you add it to a product, meaning you only need to enter the
details once.
For more information on HS Code and guidance on the level of detail needed in the description field, please see
more information here: http://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/nomenclature/overview/hs-multi-purposes-tool.aspx.
You can find the HMRC Trade Tariff Codes here: https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/trade-tariff/sections. To use
it, simply type in a description of your item(s) and the website tool will generate your code.
Why should I provide the Trade Tariff (HS) Code?
Provision of the Trade Tariff Code is requested for commercial items to help in the Customs clearance process. This is
because the Trade Tariff Code lets the destination Post know electronically what is in the item, enabling accurate
Customs charging and simplified Customs clearance. If the Trade Tariff Code is not completed or completed
incorrectly then the wrong charges could be applied, or in some cases, Customs authorities may stop the parcel and
examine it, potentially delaying its journey – they might even reject it and send the item(s) back to you.
Will this same level of detail be required on the CN22 / CN23?
Yes. Click & Drop and Pro Shipping will generate a printable CN22 / CN23 label containing all the information
provided electronically, including description and HS Code etc. Where a customer is using their own systems, the
electronic data should match what is on the physical declaration.
*If the UK leaves the EU with 'No Deal', items destined for the EU will be treated the same as items bound for non-EU
destinations.Do I need to supply information for goods being posted to both the EU and the rest of the world? Yes, customs data needs to be supplied whenever an item is required to go through Customs. Currently, this is only applicable to countries outside of the EU. However, the European Union Customs Code will make electronic customs data a requirement from 2020. We also suggest that customers prepare to send data to all destinations, including EU countries, as the UK* prepares for a potential exit from the Customs Union in case of a hard Brexit. Will items now take longer to leave the UK? Our despatch times should be the same or quicker as we are able to scan barcoded items with more speed. Recipient countries that use electronic customs data for processing may also be able to clear items more quickly. How will this affect overseas shipping pricing from Royal Mail? To recognise the additional work providing this electronic data may require, we have introduced a 1% discount on your international supplement (currently 3%) – as long as you provide accurate and complete customs data and apply an S10 Barcode on your items. This discount will apply for all business contract products that do not have a letter format product code. Find out more about the Electronic Customs Data Pricing Incentive, including the How to Guide and Terms and Conditions. What if I cannot provide any electronic data because I am currently using a manual process? If only manual data (i.e. CN22 or CN23 label only) is provided then this could result in the item being cleared manually; it may be opened, examined and therefore be delayed. If electronic data in the receiving country is required, your customer may incur fees or in the worst instance, the item may not be accepted into the destination country. Therefore, we recommend you move from a manual process to inputting electronic customs data. This can be done via our shipping system, Click & Drop and Pro Shipping, which will capture and transmit all of the required data. This electronic process is simple to set up, user-friendly and by producing all required labels, saves time in manually writing labels and commercial invoices. What is the difference between a CN22 and a CN23? CN23s are used for posting items with a value of £270 and above, whereas CN22s are used for goods valued at less than £270. You can also use a CN23 form if you need more product lines. For detailed instructions on how to fill in customs declarations forms CN22 and CN23 please see Help with customs and sending goods abroad. Are there any changes to the CN22 / CN23 documents? No – the change is that the information provided on them will need to be submitted electronically. You should already be completing CN22s and CN23s fully. The CN22/CN23 label needs to be affixed on the outside of the item as before. Does the CN22 / CN23 still need to be displayed on the outside of items? Yes, you still need to show the CN22 / CN23 on the outside of your items. We are not changing the size of the CN22 or CN23 – they are still 6cmx4cm so they should fit as usual. If, however, listing all of the products to apply HS Codes increases the size, then you can use a CN23 template which has more lines, regardless of the value of the goods inside. You can then fold up the CN23 and attach it to the item, ensuring that as much information as possible is on the visible side of the item. I use a 3rd party shipping system such as Metapack; what do I need to do? The specifications for providers of other shipping systems have been updated and shared; these companies have been advised that this data must be captured and provided. Metapack have informed us they are not currently ready to provide the required specifications. Easypost, Iforce, Intersoft, Linnworks, Madcapsule, Scurri, ShipStation, Smartfreight, Sorted, Storefeeder, Veeqo and Zenstores all provide electronic customs data and the correct 1D barcode. For more information please contact your provider. *If the UK leaves the EU with 'No Deal', items destined for the EU will be treated the same as items bound for non-EU destinations.
Will there be any additional charges for manually input customs data? If you are shipping to destinations such as Brazil that are charging to manually input Customs data, the recipient should no longer receive an additional processing charge if you move to electronic customs data. Does the requirement to provide data electronically apply to large letters or ‘flats’? Yes it does. Wherever a mail piece contains goods or gifts (with the exception of items of correspondence), it is required to go through customs clearance and will need to be accompanied by electronic customs data. Will there be any changes to barcodes? The electronic customs data will be encoded in a UPU standard S10 / 1D barcode. This means there will be two barcodes on your label rather than the one that you had before. This is because we need the 2D barcode for processing in the UK. The UPU standard requires electronic data to be in the S10 / 1D format. If you are using Royal Mail’s Click & Drop or Pro Shipping, there will be an S10 barcode automatically applied as required. If you are using your own shipping solution (COSS), a Royal Mail Shipping API (SAPI) or another shipping platform provider, the requirements have been outlined in the specifications. Updates on which platforms are ‘electronic data ready’ can be found on our website www.royalmail.com/international-data. I sell using Amazon / eBay and can’t access customers’ email addresses or mobile numbers; what do I do? If you can’t provide recipient contact details, you will still be able to post your items. However, it does mean that you will not be able to offer your customers any free features that depend on these details, such as delivery notifications, choice of delivery address, and Delivered Duty Paid Lite which is currently available for exports to Canada. Also, if there are problems with your item in the destination country, such as being unable to deliver it or if it is held up in Customs, the destination Post will not be able to contact the addressee to resolve these problems. Concerned about Data Protection? Some customers are concerned about supplying recipient contact details for data protection reasons. We manage all customer data according to the Royal Mail General Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy; all recipient contact details are protected by these policies including telephone numbers and email addresses when provided. The information we share with overseas Posts in order to deliver items and notify recipients is also protected under our existing Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy by means of a Data Sharing Agreement, which we have with each Post, and a further agreement between us and the International Post Corporation (IPC). No data can be shared with overseas Posts or the IPC without these Data Sharing Agreements in place so there is effectively no difference in the level of protection of data when sharing electronic customs data with overseas destinations. What good looks like: how to populate the required fields. The below table provides an overview for each of the required customs fields and explains how they need to be populated. There are also examples of good field values. *If the UK leaves the EU with 'No Deal', items destined for the EU will be treated the same as items bound for non-EU destinations.
Field Name Rules Description and how to populate the field Type 3 Pre-advice Type 3 Pre-advice
Record Field
S10 barcode check Yes
SENDER NAME Yes The despatching Business Name
E.g. "David Evans" 01 - Sender Record 3
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
SENDER ADDRESS 1 Yes The first lines of the sender’s (despatching) site address
E.g. "1 Broadgate" 01 - Sender Record 4
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
SENDER POST TOWN Yes The Post town of the despatching site
E.g. "London" 01 - Sender Record 9
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
SENDER POSTCODE Yes The Postcode of the despatching site
E.g. "EC2M 2QS" 01 - Sender Record 10
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
SENDER TELEPHONE No A contact telephone number for despatching site/operation
E.g. "01234567869" 01 - Sender Record 12
Note: This field is highly recommended to aid electronic customs clearance.
SENDER EMAIL No A valid contact email address for despatching site/operation
E.g. "Reis.stewart@royalmail.com" 01 - Sender Record 16
Note: This field is highly recommended to aid electronic customs clearance.
Can be captured with the Recipient Name or on its own i.e. Recipient Business Name or Recipient
Name must contain a value, However if not captured then the Recipient Name must be captured.
RECIPIENT BUSINESS NAME Yes (Conditional) 02 - Detail Record 14
Note: The completion of this field or Recipient Name (Field 20) is mandatory for the enabling of
electronic customs clearance.
DELIVERY ADDRESS 1 Yes The first line of the Delivery Address. Not required if field 21 or 22 are populated
E.g. "33 CLark Street" 02 - Detail Record 15
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
DELIVERY POST TOWN Yes The Post town of the Delivery Address. If used truncate to 12 characters where required.
E.g. "Frankfurt" 02 - Detail Record 18
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
DELIVERY POSTCODE Yes The Postcode of the Delivery Address, with the (optional) DPS
If populated minimum length is 5 characters
E.g. "20502" 02 - Detail Record 19
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance for international
destinations where a postcode exists.
Can be captured with the Recipient Business Name or on its own i.e. Recipient Business Name or
Recipient Name must contain a value. However if not captured then the Recipient Business Name
must be captured.
RECIPIENT NAME Yes (Conditional) For local collect service the Recipient Name must be populated. 02 - Detail Record 20
E.g. "Sam Anderson"
Note: The completion of this field or Recipient Business Name (Field 14) is mandatory for the
enabling of electronic customs clearance.
DELIVERY BUILDING Yes (Conditional) The building number of the delivery address.
NUMBER Not required, if the Address Line 1 is populated 02 - Detail Record 21
The Building Name of the Delivery Address. Accept destination information in English A-Z and 0-9. If
special characters to replace with .
DELIVERY BUILDING NAME Yes (Conditional) 02 - Detail Record 22
Not required, if Address Line 1 is populated
DELIVERY COUNTRY Yes ISO 3166-1 alpha 2, two-letter or alpha-3 three-letter country codes for the Destination Country. If
the ISO 3166-1 alpha 2 variant is to be used then right pad with a [space] character
02 - Detail Record 25
E.g. "DE " or "DEU"
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
1D Tracking Yes The 1D S10 barcode reference associated with the item. This is the Tracking ID for Tracked and
Number Signature services or the Customs S10 barcode for untracked items.
Including prefix & suffix e.g.
AANNNNNNNNNGB
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
ITEM WEIGHT Yes The gross weight of the units in the item, expressed in Kilogram & 3 Decimal place
06 - Generic
E.g. "1.85"
International Item 6
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
Information Record
CURRENCY INDICATOR Yes Currency code for all values relating to the Shipment, as per ISO 4217. If unknown GBP should be
used 06 - Generic
E.g. "GBP" International Item 9
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance. Information Record
VALUE OF CONTENTS Yes Total value of the item, to 2 decimal places. The decimal point is not included. For example £12.50
06 - Generic
should be populated as 1250
International Item 10
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
Information Record
RECIPIENT TELEPHONE No Telephone number of person to whom parcel is to be delivered in case of issues arising with the
shipment
06 - Generic
E.g. "00491234567898"
International Item 30
Note: This field is mandatory for International products to enable network optimisation and as a
Information Record
recommendation to aid electronic customs clearance.
Always select from the following options:
“G” for Gift
“S” for Commercial Sample
"D" for Documents 06 - Generic
CATEGORY/NATURE OF
Yes "R" for Returned Goods International Item 35
ITEM
"O" for Other Information Record
"M" for Mixed Content
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
EXPLANATION OF NATURE Yes (Conditional) If Other is selected in Field 35, then sender would need to capture the description of the parcel
OF ITEM contents. 06 - Generic
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance if Other is selected International Item 36
in field 35. Information Record
POSTAGE COST Yes Postage paid for Item. Required if Total Value of Item is above £270 but may not be available at
the instance of pre-advice since the Mail item has not been posted. Value is given without Decimal
places as elsewhere, e.g. £12.50 as 1250. Sender's Currency only , which is the Currency Indicator 06 - Generic
Value. International Item 39
E.g. "1250" Information Record
Note: This field is highly recommended to aid electronic customs clearance.
OTHER FEES Yes Such as Insurance etc. Provide if available for Mail Item with Total Value above £270. Sender's
06 - Generic
Currency only ,which is the Currency Indicator Value
International Item 40
Note: This field is highly recommended to aid electronic customs clearance.
Information Record
LOCALISED POST TOWN Yes The Post town of the Delivery Address. This field may contain characters outside of C40 or Latin so
06 - Generic
data stored here should use the Unicode character to represent the input.
International Item 50
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance.
Information Record
QUANTITY OF UNITS Yes Number of content/units within the parcel/Item e.g. if 2 packets of bolts are sent within a physical
parcel, this field would be populated with “2” 07 - Item Unit
5
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance. Record
UNIT DESCRIPTION Yes Description of contents (units)
E.g. “Bolts 2 pack x 50” for 2 pack containing 50 bolts each 07 - Item Unit
6
Note: This field is Mandtory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance. Record
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OF Yes To be expressed in 3 digit ISO 3166 code Recommended for Commercial Items but not Mandatory
CONTENTS E.g. "GB"
07 - Item Unit
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance. 7
Record
UNIT VALUE Yes Value per individual content item, to include 2 decimal places and decimal point not included. For
example £12.50 should be populated as 1250
E.g. "1250" 07 - Item Unit
8
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance. Record
UNIT WEIGHT Yes Weight per individual content item, expressed in kilogram. Up to 3 Decimal Places
E.g. 2 kilograms and 950 grams should be populated as "2.950" 07 - Item Unit
9
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance. Record
TRADE TARIFF (HS) CODE Yes Should be populated if known
E.g. "490199" 07 - Item Unit
10
Note: This field is mandatory for the enabling of electronic customs clearance. Record
*If the UK leaves the EU with 'No Deal', items destined for the EU will be treated the same as items bound for non-EU
destinations.You can also read
