Importing SPS controlled goods that interact with the ALVS

This guide tells you how to format the document identifier entered in data element (DE) 2/3 if you are declaring sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controlled goods.

When you submit your declaration, the Automatic Licence Verification System (ALVS) will:

• find the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) pre-notification submitted on the Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFsIPAFFS)
• attempt to get a successful match on the:
  • Common Health Entry Document (CHED) identifier (DE 2/3)
  • net weight (DE 6/1) or number of live animals (DE 6/2)
  • commodity code (DE 6/14 and DE 6/15)

Defra pre-notifications submitted on the IPAFFS

When submitting your pre-notification on the IPAFFsIPAFFS, select the Common Health Entry Document (CHED) that represents the product type you are importing.

For example, use the CommonCHED Health Entry Document for horticultural and plant related products (CHED-PP) if you are importing:

• horticultural products
• plants
• plant-related products

The document code C085 (CHED-PP) is not recognised in the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) Tariff. On your customs declaration, you should use the document codes:

• N002 (conformity certificate)
• N851 (phytosanitary certificate)

ForThe alldocument typesidentifier ofin CommonDE Health2/3 Entryshould Documentbe (written in format ‘GBCHDyyyy.nnnnnnn’:

• GBCHD
• yyyy. — the year the pre-notification was made followed by a fullstop
• nnnnnnn — the 7-digit CHED), thenumber documentgenerated identifierby inthe DEIPAFFS

This 2/3format should be inused thefor formatall GBCHDyyyy.nnnnnnntypes of CHED if you’re declaring: declaring:

• fruit and vegetables, using document code N002 (CHED-PP)
• plants or plant-related products, using document code N851 (CHED-PP)
• live animals, using document code C640 (CHEDCHED-A-A))
• products of animal origin, using document code N853 (CHED-P)
• high-risk food not of animal origin, using document code C678 (CHED-D)

In this format:

• yyyy is the year the pre-notification was made, followed by a dot
• nnnnnnn is the 7-digit CHED number generated by IPAFFs

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) document code

If you’re using document code C673 (IUU Catch certificate), use the document identifier GBIUU.

The ALVS will inform the IUU decision (IUU OK, IUU N/A or IUU HOLD) recorded by Port Health inspectors in Box 42 of the CHED-P Part II.

Document codes in DE 2/3 that are not required by the CustomsCDS Declaration Service Tariff system

CustomsCDS Declaration Service Tariff validation will only accept additional document codes if you have included all the relevant documentary requirements for any ‘all countries’ prohibition and restriction measures which apply to your goods.

You will receive an X00 ‘no match’ message if you:

• declare additional ALVS document codes in DE 2/3 which are not required by Tariff
• have not made a supporting Defra pre-notification

Completion of goods description DE 6/8

Do not use the copy and paste function to directly lift descriptions in the CDS Tariff for completion of the goods description in DE 6/8. If descriptions contain special accent characters, using the copy and paste function:

• may prevent messages being automatically sent to the ALVS
• will cause a delay in customs clearance as HMRC will need to complete a manual process to remove the special characters

Receipt of X00 ‘no match’ messages

If the ALVS generates an X00 ‘no match’ message, you should correct the data element shown in the message as soon as possible. If you made the error on the Import of products, animals, food and feed system pre-notification, you can either:

• amend your existing pre-notification
• delete your pre-notification and submit a new one

If you have made the error on the CustomsCDS, Declaration Service, you can amend your declaration. If your software does not allow you to amend your declaration, you need to cancel your declaration before submitting a new one.

The Automatic Licence Verification System (ALVS) will re-run its data-matching process. If the mismatch has been corrected, it will provide a decision notification to the Customs Declaration Service.CDS.

If the mismatch has not been corrected:

• the ALVS cannot provide a decision notification to the Customs Declaration ServiceCDS
• your customs declaration will not be cleared

The AutomaticALVS Licence Verification System can successfully apply data matching on:

• multiple CHEDs declared on a single customs declaration — for example, where racehorses need a separate CHEDCHED-A-A for each animal

• a single CHED applied across several customs declarations — for example where:

  • the CHED covers more than a single exporter or importer

  • the consignment is split between free circulation and a special procedure, such as customs warehousing

Net weight

The ALVS will generate an X00 ‘no match’ on net weight when it receives your first customs declaration if your IPAFFsIPAFFS pre-notification covers:

• a single CHED
• more than one associated customs declaration

The ALVS will generate a successful match of the net weight when it receives your final declaration for the CHED.

If you have multiple declarations associated to multiple CHEDs

The ALVS cannot match data if there are multiple customs declarations associated to multiple CHEDs. To avoid this matching restriction, you can use multiple line items to put all pre-notifications covering the same exporter and importer on the same declaration.

If you cannot avoid this matching restriction, you will need to apply for a manual release.

Importing caught fish 

If you import caught fish, you should pre-notify on the IPAFFsIPAFFS the:

• products of animal origin (POAO) CHED-P
• IUU Catch certificate

If you faildo tonot do this, the ALVS will generate a ‘no match’.

For more information on importing caught fish, read chapters 3 and 16 of the Tariff.

ImportingHorticultural horticulturalMarketing productsInspectorate — general marketing standard (GMS)

The Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) carry out inspection checks on a random selection of horticultural products that fall under Generalgeneral Marketingmarketing Standardsstandard, (GMS)covering aremost randomlyfresh selectedfruit, forvegetables, inspection.nuts, herbs and cultivated mushrooms.

If your GMS products are selected for inspection, you will receive a a GMS ‘no ‘no match’ message. You must then:

• make a GeneralGMS Marketing Standards pre-notification on the IPAFFsIPAFFS
• amend your customs declaration to include the the CHED-PP details details in in DE 2/3 2/3

Where a GMS product is prepared, processed or intended for industrial processing, additional information (AI) code “GMSPR” should be declared in DE 2/2 at item level on your import declaration. This will indicate that the product is imported for processing and the HMI’s GMS does not apply. If you do not use AI code “GMSPR”, where applicable, it may lead to the GMS item being selected requesting you make a GMS pre-notification on the  IPAFFS which will unnecessarily delay the clearance of your goods.

Use of National and EU waiver document codes

Specific National waiver document codes have been assigned to a number of prohibition and restriction measures. This is to give more clarity about the documentary requirements of the UK Trade Tariff.

For example:

• National waiver 920Y can be used on several commodity codes to satisfy the ‘HMI Conformity Certificate (fruit and veg) issued in UK’ measure
• EU waivers already in existence, such as document code Y930 or C084, can be used on several commodity codes to satisfy the ‘Veterinary control’ measure

You should only use a waiver document code when a:

• waiver is appropriate for your sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) consignment
• waiver document code is available to use for your chosen commodity code

Using the waiver document code, instead of a Common Health Entry Document (CHED) document code, will help minimise delays in customs clearance.

Further checks

Carriers may need to take their SPS consignments to a Border Control Post (BCP) when they arrive in the UK. CustomsCDS Declaration Service messaging services will tell the carrier which BCP to take their consignments to.

When the ALVS returns a release decision, Customs and Border Force may carry out additional checks, such as:

• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) checks
• checks to resolve any outstanding accounting queries

The customs declaration will only be cleared after any additional checks are completed.

Customs Declaration Service messaging services will tell you if:

• additional checks are needed
• other queries have been raised