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Information for Importers and Agents

If you receive a notification on CHIEF, you need to send documentation to the Border Referral Team.

Importers or agents importing non-food products may receive an entry route notification on CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight) which informs them that Trading Standards have an involvement with the entry.

This means the following documentation needs to be submitted to the Border Referral Team at OPSS to opss.borders@beis.gov.uk

  • Entry acceptance advice
  • C88
  • Commercial Invoice
  • Packing list
  • Bill of lading

This documentation will be assessed by the Border Referral Team at OPSS and referred to Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team if appropriate.  You will be notified when Suffolk Imports Team place a hold on Destin8.

If a hold notification is placed on Destin8 this means that Officers from Suffolk Imports Team will be conducting a physical inspection of goods in the importer’s consignment. Suffolk Imports team notifies Felixstowe Port or the relevant ETSF (External Temporary Storage Facility) where the goods are being held, that the consignment needs to be inspected.

When the Port/ ETSF have got the consignment ready to be inspected, one of our Import Surveillance Officers attends the Port/ETSF to carry out the inspection.  The team take samples of goods and will contact importers and agents if further information is required.  Such information might include Declarations of Conformity for some products as well as supporting technical and compliance documentation such as test reports.

Consignments are released if the goods are found to be compliant with all safety laws and standards.  If goods are found to be non-compliant, they may be refused entry into the UK or in some circumstances, may be released for further work under the supervision of the importer’s Local Trading Standards Authority.  Unsafe goods may be refused entry and destroyed.

Contact the Import Surveillance Team