Customs Glossary

Confused by the import-export jargon? Our glossary provides a short explanation of all the customs terms to help you navigate global trade.

• Red Lane (NI)
• Animal By-Products (ABPs)
• Authorised Economic Operator (AEO)
• Border Control Point (BCP)
• C21
• C88
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• Carrier
• Cash Account
• CITES
• Commodity Code
• Common Health Entry Document (CHED)
• Common Transit Convention (CTC)
• Common User Charge (CUC)
• Community Service Provider (CSP)
• Controlled Goods
• CPTPP
• Cumulation
• Customs Declaration Service (CDS)
• Customs Duty
• Customs Duty Waiver Scheme (NIAID)
• Customs Handling of Import Export Freight (CHIEF)
• Customs Intermediary
• Customs Procedure Code (CPC)
• Delivered at Place (DAP)
• Delivered at Place Unloaded (DPU)
• Delivered Duty Paid (DDP)
• Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
• Digital Trade Corridors (DTC)
• Direct Representation
• Duty Deferment Account (DDA)
• Ecosystem of Trust (EOT)
• Entry In Declarant Records (EIDR)
• EORI Number
• European Union (EU)
• EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
• Exit Summary Declaration (EXS)
• Export Accompanying Document (EAD)
• Export Health Certificate (EHC)
• External Temporary Storage Facility (ETSF)
• Ex-Works (EXW)
• Excise Duty
• Freeports
• Free Carrier (FCA)
• Freight Forwarders?
• Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
• Generalised Scheme of Preference (GSP)
• Goods Movement Reference (GMR) and the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS)
• Harmonized System Code (HS Code)
• High Risk Food Not of Animal Origin (HRFNAO)
• His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU)
• Import Control System (ICS)
• Import Control System 2 (ICS2)
• Importer's Knowledge
• Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed Systems (IPAFFS)
• Incoterms
• Indirect Representation
• Inland Border Facility (IBF)
• Inland Temporary Storage Facility (ITSF)
• Intrastat
• Inventory Linked Port (ILP)
• Inventory Release
• Local Reference Number (LRN)
• Logistics Service Provider (LSP)
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
• Most Favoured Nation (MFN)
• Movement Reference Number (MRN)
• Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)
• New Computerised Transit System (NCTS)
• Northern Ireland MHRA Authorised Route (NIMAR)
• Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS)
• Operation BROCK?
• Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM)
• Phytosanitary Certificates
• PortBase
• Port Badges
• Port Health Interactive Live Information System (PHILIS)
• Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA)
• Pre-Boarding Notification (PBN)
• Preference and Preferential Origin
• Products of Animal Origin (POAO)
• Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
• Returned Goods Relief (RGR)
• Revenue Trader Account Number (TSN)
• REX statement
• Risk Categories
• SAFE Framework
• Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS)
• Simplified Customs Declaration Procedure (SCDP)
• Single Trade Window (STW)
• Smart Borders
• Smart Borders 2.0
• Supplementary Declaration (SDI)
• The Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA)
• The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM)
• The Food Standard Agency (FSA)
• TRACES NT
• Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)
• Trader Goods Profile (TGP)
• Transit
• Transit Accompanying Document (TAD)
• Transit Guarantee
• UK Border Force (UKBF)
• UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS)
• UK Trade Tariff
• Value Added Tax (VAT)
• VAT Information Exchange System (VIES)
• Windsor Framework (WF)
• World Customs Organisation (WCO)
• World Trade Organisation (WTO)
• What is an ENS (Entry Summary Declaration)?
• What is NCTS5?
• What is Regime 42?
• Supply Chain Visibility (SCV)
• Safety and Security Declaration (SSD)
• Tariffs
• Trade Facilitaion Agreement (TFA)
• What is a SFD?
• Traders
• Trusted Trader
• Green Lane (NI)
• Trusted Trader Programme
• Import declaration
• Export declaration
• What is Centralised Clearance for Import (CCI)?
• What is comparative advantage?
• What is Regulation on Deforestation-free Products
• What is a Consignment?
• What is a 'Seal'?
• What are 'Package marks'?
• Who is the Importer?
• What is a commercial reference number?
• What is meant by an 'Accompanied' status?
• What is meant by a 'Unaccompanied' status?
• What is IMO?
• What is a 'Shipment'?
• What is a 'Consignee'?
• What is a 'Validation Message'?
• What is a 'CABIE Frontier MRN'?
• What is NIPHL?
• How to 'Allow Cookies'
• What is ENS?