Since January 2021, there have been several changes to the information you may need to provide with any international orders. This guide covers all the changes you may need to make in ChannelShipper to ensure your international orders reach their destinations without delay.
Customs documents
Whilst electronic advanced data is now mandatory and is captured by ChannelShipper, there is a still a requirement to attach a physical CN22/23 document to the outside of your item. These are produced when you generate your label.
Please note, some destinations and services require a CN23 document regardless of shipment value, in such cases, ChannelShipper will produce the appropriate CN23 for your shipment.
Electronic customs data
For most international orders, electronic customs data is mandatory. As long as you have added all the required data in ChannelShipper, we will automatically pass this to the relevant customs authorities when you manifest your orders (OBA accounts) or when you pay for your labels (personal accounts). The exact data you need to provide can differ depending on the country you are sending to, the items you are sending, or the shipping service you use.
Where can I add this data?
There are three main places you can add customs information in ChannelShipper:
1. Company specific data, such as company name, Pre registration tax scheme numbers, and signatures for customs documents can be added to your Trading name settings.
2. Order specific data such as shipping cost, recipient email addresses, and Addressee Identification Reference Numbers (AIRN) can be added when you create or apply postage to your orders.
3. Product specific data such as country of origin, customs codes (also known as HS codes or Commodity codes)
The sections below will detail exactly what you can add in these areas:
1. Company specific customs information
The following information can be entered in your 'Trading Names' setting page. We will automatically apply this data to orders that require it.
If you have more than one trading name, and you post internationally, you will need to add this data for each trading name you have configured. These values may be the same if you operate under multiple company names from the same site, or may be different if you post items on behalf of clients or other countries.
|
Value |
Which destinations is it required for? |
Where is it used?
|
|---|---|---|
|
Full Name |
All international destinations |
This name goes onto your customs documents. It should be a responsible named individual within your business |
|
Company EORI number |
Any EU destinations |
Automatically passed in electronic customs and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents where appropriate
|
|
Company VAT number |
Any international destinations
|
Automatically passed in electronic customs and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents where appropriate |
| Pre-registration Tax Schemes & IOSS | Specific international destinations. Select the destination from the list of provided options. |
Automatically passed in electronic customs and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents where appropriate |
2. Order specific customs information
The following information is entered when applying postage to your orders and is stored on an individual order basis. When you are applying postage, customs details can be entered in step 4: package contents.
You can also add all of this information during spreadsheet order import, or when you are importing orders via our Public API Integration.
Please note that it is not currently possible to import much of this data directly from eCommerce marketplaces or webstores, and so the data must be added to orders after they have been imported into ChannelShipper.
|
Value |
Which destinations is it required for? |
How do I add it to my order? |
Where is it used? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient email address | Any international destinations | Entered when manually creating an order or imported from channels | Passed in electronic customs |
| Commercial invoice number | Destinations outside of the EU | Entered when applying postage to an order | Passed in electronic customs |
| Commercial invoice date | Destinations outside of the EU | Entered when applying postage to an order | Passed in electronic customs |
| Requires export license | Where an export license is required for the product and destination | Entered when applying postage to an order | Passed in electronic customs |
|
Recipient purchasing ID |
Mandatory for specific international destinations |
Entered when applying postage to an order |
Passed in electronic customs, and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents where appropriate |
|
Addressee Identification Reference Number |
Mandatory for specific international destinations |
Entered when applying postage to an order |
Passed in electronic customs, and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents where appropriate |
|
Shipping cost |
Any international destinations |
Entered in the 'Retail shipping cost' field when applying postage to an order, as a mappable field in spreadsheet or API order imports, or downloaded from some eCommerce channels. |
Passed in electronic customs. |
|
Sender's country |
Any international destinations |
ChannelShipper will automatically provide this data for you. You do not need to provide this information. |
Passed in electronic customs. |
| Sub total (ex-tax) | Any international destinations | The total value of the order excluding tax and the shipping costs you charged to your customer |
Passed in electronic customs, and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents. |
| Tax | Not used for customs purposes | The total value of tax paid by the user on the order |
not used for customs purposes |
| Total | Any international destinations (subject to 'where is it used' notes) | The total value of the order including tax but excluding the shipping costs you charged to your customer |
Used where an exclusive of tax total value has not been provided or cannot be calculated. |
| Order value | Any international destinations (subject to 'where is it used' notes) | The total value of the order including tax and the shipping costs you charged to your customer |
Used where neither a sub-total can be calculated or a Total provided |
| Other costs | Any international destinations | Add the value of any additional costs which should be declared for customers but are not included in the order total, such as insurance costs. |
Passed in electronic customs. |
| Customs duty costs | Any supported international destinations when using a DDP service | Add the value of any 'Delivery Duty Paid' on an order. Can be entered when creating an order, when applying postage, importing a spreadsheet or through our API |
Passed in electronic customs and PDDP logo displayed on labels. |
Product customs information
The following can be added to your 'Product' pages, and will be automatically stored against any orders containing those products.
|
Value |
Which destinations is it required for? |
How do I add it to my order? |
Where is it used? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requires export license | Where an export license is required for the product and destination | Entered when applying postage to an order | Passed in electronic customs |
| Customs code | Any international destinations | Automatically added if the order contains a product with a customs code added | Passed in electronic customs, and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents |
| Country of origin | All international destinations | Automatically added if the order contains a product with a customs code added | Passed in electronic customs, and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents |
| Customs description | All international destinations | Save in product data or map a field for spreadsheet/API order imports | Passed in electronic customs, and displayed on CN22 and CN23 documents |
| Extended customs description | All international destinations | Save in product data or map a field for spreadsheet/API order imports | Passed in electronic customs |
Changes coming soon
The following changes are in development and will appear soon. Please keep an eye on your user messages and our latest release information help page for more details.
1. Sending items from England, Scotland, and Wales to Northern Ireland
There are two exceptions to this that will impact some business customers only. Until 31st March 2021, HMRC is adopting a temporary approach to declaration requirements for some movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. According to the Government guidance:
- If you are a Northern Ireland based business receiving goods valued at £135 or more you must submit a declaration within three months of receiving the goods. Businesses will be able to use the Government’s free Trader Support Service to do so. Further information on this delayed declaration can be found in the Government’s guidance.
- There are new requirements for businesses sending prohibited and restricted goods as well as excise goods such as alcohol and tobacco. We remain in close contact with Government on this and will update customers shortly.
A separate field for XI EORI number for Northern Ireland will become available in your 'Trading name' settings, and further information will be provided before this requirement becomes mandatory.
In the interim, Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide will continue to collect and deliver items from Great Britain to Northern Ireland as usual.
2. 'Shipping cost' will be added to CN22 customs documents.
This value is currently already displayed on CN23 customs documents and is passed electronically.
Glossary:
Addressee Identification Reference Number: For customs purposes, Russia and Brazil require the submission of an addressee specific identification number when Russian/Brazilian individuals or organisation import goods from overseas. This is a 10 or 12 numerical digit code for items into Russia and to Brazil the individuals CPF in the format: 000.000.000-00 or a CNPJ for organisations in the format: 00.000.000/0000-00
Please be aware that when exporting items to Russia or Brazil, there is a requirement to provide the recipients identification reference detail so this can be made visible to the relevant customs authorities. Failure to provide this data can result in items being returned to the sender or even destroyed by customs authorities in Russia or Brazil.
Commercial Invoice date: A commercial invoice is an export document that helps your package get through customs. This is the date your commercial invoice was created.
Commercial Invoice number: A commercial invoice is an export document that helps your package get through customs. A properly completed and correct commercial invoice for export helps customs authorities quickly decide which taxes and import duties apply to your package.
Country of Origin: The country where your product was produced.
Customs code: Also known as Harmonised System Codes (HS codes). Valid customs codes are between 6 and 13 digits long. It is your responsibility as a seller to ensure you have provided this information where necessary. ChannelShipper supports automatically applying HS codes to your orders based on the description of the product.
Further information and the HS Codes for many products can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff.
Delivery Duties Paid (DDP): Certain countries operate a DDP scheme. A DDP scheme provides merchants with a mechanism to pay customs duties in the destination country. This prevents customs authorities from holding items until the recipient pays a customs fee.
EORI Number: for International Customers - EU Customs authorities require EORI Numbers for all UK Exports. You will need to register with HMRC in order to obtain an EORI number, please refer to the UK Government website for registration details.
Export Licence: If you export items that require an export licence, add 'yes' or 'no' in the field. This requirement is restricted to exporters of specific types of goods used predominantly for military purposes, and will not apply to the majority of customers. You can find out more about the type of items requiring an export licence on the UK Government website.
Extended customs description: Customers accessing a DDP or Pre-Registration scheme who are unable to provide a tariff code greater than 6 digits should provide an extended customs description. The extended description should contain a sufficient level of detail including (but not limited to) the unit's composition and colour e.g. Large-Sized Male Polo Pique T-Shirt, Colour: Red, Composition: 70% Cotton 30% Viscose, Machine Washable.
IOSS number (International One-Stop Shop): Tax scheme for sending goods valued 150 EUR or less to the EU.
Pre Registration tax Scheme (PRS): Certain countries operate a Tax Pre-Registration scheme. If you are registered for a Tax Pre-Registration scheme for a particular destination, you will need to identify that you intend to send an item under the scheme rules. Examples of this are ABN Numbers for orders to Australia, or VOEC numbers for orders to Norway. IOSS numbers for orders to the EU are also considered a type of PRS.
Sender's Country: The country from where the item was sent. Please note this is different to 'Country of origin' above. This value is passed automatically to electronic customs by ChannelShipper.
Sender's Vat number: VAT registered customers who post items international should provide their 'Senders VAT Number'. The VAT number supports customs processing in specific circumstances.
Shipping cost: This refers to the shipping cost paid by the purchaser. If free postage and packaging have been offered, then this is Zero.
Order sub-total: This is the value of the order, excluding tax and shipping costs paid by the recipient of the items. We recommend you provide this value for international shipments to ensure your items are valued correctly.
Order tax: This is the value of Tax, typically VAT, paid by your customer. If you prefer inclusive of tax values displayed in your ChannelShipper account, or have previously supplied an inclusive of tax value in the 'Order value' field we recommend completing this field.
Order value: This is the value of the order including tax, but excluding any shipping, insurance or ancillary or intangible products or services.