Border Force – Safety & Security Data Compliance. Immediate Action Required– July 2025

Safety & Security Entry Summary (ENS) declarations were mandated for all consignments entering Great Britain (including Remain on Board goods) from 31/01/2025.

You must ensure that you are meeting your legal obligations to submit a declaration.

The legal requirement to submit ENS declarations, within the specified time limits, lies with the carrier. The carrier is the operator of the active means of transport on, or in, which the goods are brought into the customs territory of Great Britain.

Where an intermediary or agent submits the ENS declaration on behalf of the carrier the intermediary is generally responsible for ensuring data accuracy and completeness.

Border Force (FEDAT) continue to identify non-compliance in terms of submission and data accuracy.

Accurate ENS declarations are a critical part of Border Force’s frontier risk assessment. Border Force continue to see unacceptable failures in the provision of accurate data.

Border Force have highlighted data accuracy issues in previous notifications notably against the Expected Date and Time of Arrival, Identity of means of transport at the border, Container/Trailer Number and Customs Office of First Entry.

Carriers and Intermediaries have now had nearly six months to address any issues. There has been little improvement in the quality of data provided in these fields. As a result, where there has been a failure to provide correct details the correct fields, notably, in the identity of means of transport at the border and the Container/Trailer number field Border Force will take immediate compliance action.

Please review your ENS declarations to ensure that you are meeting these requirements and avoid being subject to compliance action.

The Safety and Security MRN may be entered within the GMR for GVMS on a voluntary basis. We would strongly recommend that you do so.

For further information on Safety & Security please visit www.gov.uk/guidance/making-an-entry-summary-declaration. For details of the specific data requirements please go to the section Entry summary declaration data elements for the S&S GB service.

1. Identity of means of transport crossing the border
   For accompanied Roll on/Roll off and Channel Tunnel (Road 3) you must enter the Vehicle Registration Number of the vehicle that is crossing the border. Holding values such as TRUCK must not be entered under any circumstances. The trailer number also must not be entered here and instead must be entered in the Container number field.
   For unaccompanied Roll on/Roll off you must enter the IMO ship identification number.
   These should be entered without spaces or special characters.

2. Container or Trailer number
   If a container or trailer is being moved the correct number must be entered in this field. Holding values such as TRAILER must not be entered under any circumstances.
   When it is a container being moved on a trailer the container number should be entered in preference to the trailer number.
   It is the unique container or trailer number which identifies the container/trailer that should be entered.
   The trailer number should be the trailer number registered with the respective national authority in the country of registration.
   These should be entered without spaces or special characters.

3. Customs Office of First Entry
   For Dover sea traffic, including RoRo, you must use port code GB000040. Channel Tunnel (Road and Rail traffic) into Folkestone should be using port code GB000060.