A T1 transit declaration lets non-Union goods travel between two points under suspension of customs duty, excise and VAT. It is the workhorse of cross-border road freight in the Common Transit Convention (CTC) area, and since Brexit it has become the default procedure for huge volumes of UK ↔ EU traffic.
When you need a T1
You will typically need a T1 when:
- Goods are imported from outside the EU and need to move from a UK port to a final destination in the EU (e.g. Felixstowe → Hamburg).
- Non-Union goods enter the CTC area and need to cross multiple borders before clearance (e.g. China sea-import discharged at Rotterdam, then road-moved to a UK bonded warehouse).
- You are using a customs warehouse arrangement and need to move goods between two facilities.
If the goods are already in free circulation in the EU and only crossing a third country (like Great Britain) on their way to another EU member state, you'll use a T2 rather than a T1.
What data goes on a T1
NCTS Phase 5 expects a richer dataset than the old CTC declaration. Every T1 must include:
- Principal / declarant — the party legally responsible for the goods, with a valid EORI.
- Office of departure — where NCTS accepts the declaration.
- Office of destination — where the procedure must be discharged.
- Itinerary — every customs territory the goods will transit through.
- Consignor / consignee at the level of every house bill of lading.
- Commodity codes (HS6) per item plus net mass and supplementary units.
- Container numbers and seal numbers for sealed loads.
- Guarantee reference — covering the customs debt that would arise if the goods escape the procedure.
How the MRN moves through the journey
- NCTS accepts the declaration and issues an MRN (Movement Reference Number).
- The Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) is printed and travels with the goods.
- At each border, customs scans the MRN and updates NCTS.
- The office of destination receives the goods, verifies the seals, and discharges the procedure.
- Once discharged, the guarantee is released.
If the procedure is not discharged within the time limit, NCTS triggers a search procedure and — if unresolved — recovers the duties from the principal. That's why timely discharge is critical, and why we monitor every MRN you submit through us.
Common pitfalls
- Wrong office of destination code — leads to "no arrival" messages and search procedures.
- Guarantee reference mismatch — declaration rejected at submission.
- Missing seals data on sealed loads — customs forces a physical inspection.
- Commodity codes that don't match what's actually on the vehicle — high risk of detention.
How we help
Our team is available 24/7 to lodge T1 declarations through NCTS, monitor the MRN, pair it with a GMR for UK RoRo crossings, and chase the office of destination when discharge is overdue. Most MRNs are issued within an hour of receiving complete documents.