Can I clear part of a temporary storage shipment?
No, not simply by declaring a selected portion against an unchanged temporary-storage declaration. HMRC says the customs declaration must cover its entire quantity. Ask your broker to resolve the declaration and inventory arrangements before planning separate entries. Cambridge China Bridge can help assemble the factory paperwork.
Start with the declaration boundary
HMRC’s guidance requires the customs declaration to represent the entire amount of goods submitted to an individual temporary-storage declaration. Treat a proposal to clear selected cartons while leaving the balance against that unchanged declaration as a problem to resolve before filing.
Start by asking which goods the actual temporary-storage declaration covers. Do not assume its boundary matches your purchase order, supplier invoice or container. For the wider process, see UK customs clearance.
Give the broker a quantity reconciliation
Ask for the temporary-storage declaration reference and its recorded goods details, then compare them with the packing list, invoice and intended customs entries. Identify packages by their marks and record contents, quantities and weights. Keep cartons, individual units and weight measures distinct.
Use a worksheet with the fields below. This is a practical briefing tool, not an official form. Our customs clearance documents guide explains the underlying paperwork.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Temporary-storage record | Declaration reference, goods description and recorded quantity |
| Physical goods | Package marks, contents, unit quantities and weights |
| Intended customs entry | Draft reference, goods allocation and proposed procedure |
| Difference | Unallocated goods, duplicate allocations or inconsistent measures |
| Resolution | Broker’s explanation, operator confirmation and supporting documents |
Ask how the proposed entries will work
If you want separate entries for different products, buyers or destinations, ask the broker and storage operator to explain the declaration and inventory arrangement they propose. Ask what references each entry will use and how that arrangement meets HMRC’s whole-consignment wording.
Do not treat matching totals across draft entries as proof that the arrangement is acceptable. If the proposal depends on changing or splitting a storage record, ask them to identify the applicable process and confirm whether it is available at that location. The cited guidance does not itself explain a split-entry route.
Resolve discrepancies before authorising filing
If the factory paperwork, storage record and intended entries disagree, mark the difference explicitly. Check for omitted cartons, mixed-carton contents, duplicated product allocations and confusion between gross and net weight. Ask the factory to explain the packing rather than rewriting quantities to make totals fit.
Distinguish goods you deliberately want to leave behind from goods that appear to be missing. Give the broker the arrival and tally evidence so they can identify the appropriate response. Agree who will investigate, correct the documents and approve the revised allocation. For timing, see our UK temporary storage deadline guide.
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Keep a written filing and collection plan
Before authorising filing, obtain the final reconciliation, the broker’s explanation of the declaration arrangement and the operator’s confirmation of the inventory references. Ask for a collection plan that identifies the packages concerned and the evidence the operator will check before handing them over.
Keep the submitted entries, status messages, final packing list and discrepancy correspondence together. Agree who owns follow-up questions with the broker; our guide to appointing a customs agent helps you define that relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Can I clear selected cartons and leave the rest?
Not simply against an unchanged temporary-storage declaration covering them all. HMRC requires the customs declaration to represent the entire amount. Ask your broker to resolve the proposed arrangement before filing.
Can separate customs entries add up to the storage total?
Matching totals is a useful reconciliation check, but it does not establish an acceptable declaration arrangement. Ask the broker and operator to explain the process and references they will use.
What quantities should my broker compare?
Compare the storage declaration with package marks, packing-list contents, invoice quantities and allocations to intended entries. Keep package counts, product units and weights distinct.
What if the stored quantity differs from the packing list?
Flag the difference before authorising filing. Obtain the operator’s tally and the factory’s packing explanation, then ask the broker to confirm the response. Do not alter quantities merely to force a match.