Do I need CDS if a courier handles my import?
Yes, if your business is the importer, subscribe to the Customs Declaration Service even when a courier or broker files the declaration. Use your own business identity and check working access after submitting the registration. Coordinate supplier paperwork with Cambridge China Bridge.
Confirm which business is importing
HMRC says businesses importing goods must subscribe to the Customs Declaration Service. Arrange your business's subscription alongside the courier or broker's clearance work. First confirm whether your business is the importer or whether the seller imports and then sells the goods to you. See who is the importer of record.
Subscription and submitting a declaration are separate tasks. You can still appoint a broker to file for you. Specialist software is required when submitting declarations yourself; subscribing does not mean you must take over the broker's work. Our customs clearance guide explains the wider shipment process.
Keep access under your business's control
Use the importing business's own sign-in details. Ask the person who manages your business tax access which Government Gateway account belongs to that business before starting. Keep the password, recovery arrangements and contact inbox under your control. Ask your broker for instructions rather than handing over your login.
Check with colleagues or your accountant whether subscription has already been completed. Try the existing business access before starting another application. Record which account was used: HMRC's import duties and VAT account service requires the Government Gateway credentials used when you first subscribed.
Prepare your details and submit
Before opening the form, check HMRC's current guidance to confirm which details apply to your business, including whether you need your GB EORI, Unique Taxpayer Reference, business address as recorded by HMRC and business start date. Individuals and sole traders should confirm whether National Insurance details are needed. Compare the applicable records with the importing business named in the broker's instructions. Follow the live form for the information applicable to your business.
Find HMRC's page titled Subscribe to the Customs Declaration Service on GOV.UK and select Subscribe now. Follow the sign-in and registration prompts, review your answers and complete the submission. Save the completion screen and any reference or message provided. If your EORI is still pending, use our EORI application timing guide to coordinate dispatch.
Check working access after registration
As a practical completion check, open HMRC's Manage your import duties and VAT accounts service using the same Government Gateway credentials used for subscription. Check that you reach your business's account area rather than merely the general sign-in page. Where identifying details are displayed, compare them with your registration notes.
HMRC automatically provides a cash account once you have access. Check whether you can view that account and save a dated record of the result. Treat a submitted application and working account access as separate checkpoints. If access fails, keep the exact error text and confirm the account used before trying another registration.
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Finish the handover to your broker
Tell the courier or broker which business is importing and that you have checked access. Separately agree how duty and import VAT will be handled, what account authority they want and who supplies the completed declaration. Read our customs agent appointment guide before signing the appointment.
Keep the subscription record, broker instructions and shipment documents together. Account access alone does not establish that your shipment has cleared; ask the broker for its clearance evidence. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can coordinate factory paperwork and dispatch while you manage business access and the broker appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need CDS registration if DHL clears my goods?
Yes, if your business is the importer. Arrange your subscription even when DHL files the declaration. First confirm which business is named as importer.
Does having an EORI prove I am registered for CDS?
Use a separate access check. Try HMRC's import duties and VAT account service with the credentials used for subscription, and record whether you reach your business's account.
How do I check my CDS registration is complete?
Keep the submission record, then check working access to your business's import duties and VAT account area. HMRC automatically provides a cash account once you have access.
Do I need customs software if I use a broker?
Specialist software is required if you submit declarations yourself. You can subscribe for business access while your appointed broker continues filing the declarations.