CHIEF to CDS migration (UK) - Trade glossary

The CHIEF to CDS migration refers to the replacement of the UK's historic customs system, CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight), with the new CDS (Customs Declaration Service) managed by HMRC.

Context:

CHIEF had been operational since 1994, processing approximately 60 million declarations per year
Brexit (EU departure on 31 January 2020) significantly increased UK customs declaration volumes (intra-EU trade now requiring declarations)
The migration to CDS was completed in March 2024 for both imports and exports

The UK CDS (not to be confused with the EU Customs Decision System) offers:

Support for two-stage declarations (simplified frontier declarations)
Integration with the WCO Data Model
Modernised interface with increased processing capacity
Management of new post-Brexit regimes (UK special procedures, bilateral trade agreements)

For businesses trading with the UK, this migration required adapting EDI systems, updating procedures and training teams on new codes and formats.