What NCTS is
The New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) is the electronic system used across the Common Transit Convention (CTC) area to manage transit movements. Every T1 and T2 declaration is lodged in NCTS, every MRN is generated by NCTS, and every office of departure, office of transit, and office of destination communicates through NCTS messages.
In the UK, NCTS is operated by HMRC and is the only route by which transit declarations may be made. Paper SAD-based fallback procedures exist only for short, well-defined business continuity periods.
Phase 5: the harmonised European upgrade
NCTS Phase 5 is the version of the system aligned with the EU's Union Customs Code data model. Across the CTC area it introduced a richer data set, mandatory house consignment level data for groupage, stricter validation of consignor and consignee details, and tighter handling of office of transit movements. The UK migrated to Phase 5 in line with the wider CTC timetable.
For day-to-day users the most visible Phase 5 changes are:
- More granular data at house consignment level, especially for groupage trailers and consolidators.
- Stricter EORI validation at the consignor, consignee, and principal positions.
- Mandatory itinerary data for some movement types.
- Improved guarantee management messaging, which lets principals see real-time guarantee usage.
The 2025 paper removal for air and rail
The most significant recent UK change is the removal of paper-based transit fallback procedures for air and rail movements. This was made by the Customs (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2025, which came into force on 16 July 2025.
Before the change, air and rail operators could fall back to paper procedures in certain circumstances. After 16 July 2025, transit movements by air and rail must be made electronically through NCTS. The paper-based simplified procedure for authorised consignors using air manifest or rail manifest is no longer available in the UK. Road movements remain subject to a separate fallback regime via the Business Continuity Procedure (BCP), but the policy direction is clear: electronic-first.
For freight forwarders this means:
- Authorised consignor approvals for paper-based air or rail transit are no longer effective in the UK.
- All air and rail transit declarations must be made through NCTS, with full data quality requirements.
- Operators that previously relied on paper manifests need to ensure their systems can produce compliant NCTS Phase 5 messages.
How to submit a transit declaration
The submission flow, simplified, is:
- Prepare the declaration data. Consignor, consignee, principal, EORI numbers, commodity codes, gross and net weights, packages, seals, guarantee reference, itinerary, and any required certificates.
- Lodge the declaration in NCTS before the goods are presented to the office of departure. This can be done through HMRC's NCTS portal or through a commercial software provider connected via the CHIEF/CDS-aligned NCTS gateway.
- Receive the MRN. The system returns a Movement Reference Number and the data is registered as a declaration.
- Present the goods to the office of departure. This may be a physical customs office, an inland border facility (IBF), or — for authorised consignors — the trader's own premises.
- Receive the release-for-transit decision. NCTS issues the Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) with the MRN barcode.
- The movement begins. The driver carries the TAD and the goods are sealed.
Office of departure to office of destination
The lifecycle of a transit movement is a sequence of NCTS messages between offices:
- Office of departure — where the declaration is lodged and the movement opened. For UK exports under T2, this is often Dover, Folkestone, Felixstowe, Harwich, or an inland border facility such as Sevington or North Weald.
- Office of transit — every CTC border the goods cross. The driver presents the TAD; the office records the crossing in NCTS and sends a Border Passage notification. For a Poland–Ireland landbridge movement, the offices of transit are typically Calais on EU exit, Dover on UK entry, Holyhead on UK exit, and Dublin on Irish entry.
- Office of destination — where the movement is presented for discharge. The goods are checked against the declaration, the MRN is closed in NCTS, and a Goods Released message is sent back to the office of departure.
The principal is responsible for ensuring the goods arrive at the declared office of destination within the time limit set at the office of departure. Late arrival triggers an enquiry procedure and, if not resolved, a demand against the guarantee.
MRN issuance and tracking
Every NCTS movement is identified by its MRN — an 18-character reference issued at the moment the declaration is accepted. The MRN appears on the TAD as both text and a barcode. Hauliers and consignees can track the status of the movement on GOV.UK using the MRN, and authorised users can pull the status directly through NCTS messaging.
Practical advice for trader admins
- Submit declarations as early as practical — ideally before the trailer arrives at the office of departure. This avoids queuing at the IBF.
- Validate EORI numbers for consignor, consignee, and principal before submission.
- Match seal numbers exactly between the physical seal on the trailer and the seal recorded in NCTS.
- Monitor the discharge of every movement. An undischarged MRN is a future liability against your guarantee.
- Keep an audit trail of every NCTS message — declaration, MRN, release-for-transit, border passages, and arrival notification.
Let T2 Transit handle your NCTS submissions
T2 Transit submits transit declarations into NCTS Phase 5 every day for hauliers and forwarders moving goods through UK ports. If you would like to outsource NCTS submission, manage your guarantee, or move from a paper-based legacy process to a compliant electronic flow, contact our team for a tailored proposal.