Great Britain left the EU on the 1st of Jan, 2021. Declarations are required for all goods coming into or out of the Republic of Ireland to/ from Great Britain.
Please tell your consignee to expect SMS and Email communication from DPD with their Predict 1 hour window for delivery once their parcel is in the UK delivery network.
We are also receiving parcels from customers that cannot be shipped onwards to GB as they do not have the required customs information. These will be returned to you. Remember that shipments travelling from Republic Of Ireland to Great Britain require full customs' information.
1. Apply for an EORI number if you do not currently ship goods outside the EU.
EORI stands for Economic Operators Registration and Identification number. Registration for the EORI is straightforward. For ROI VAT registered customers, this can be done via the ROS site. Revenue has a guide on their site to show you exactly what to do. It can take up to 3 days for this EORI number to be live. You will not be able to create shipments to locations outside the EU without this. Nor will you be able to ship from outside the EU into the EU.
Note - UK VAT:
- Irish Businesses sending goods to customers will have to register for UK VAT and charge VAT at Basket for goods with an invoice value of less than £135.
- 2B consignments where UK business is not VAT registered or does not provide the UK VAT number at sale, Irish business charges VAT at Basket.
- 2B consignments where UK business is VAT registered and provides UK VAT number at sale, Irish business does NOT charge VAT at sale. UK business will pay their VAT as part of their normal VAT payment.
2. Get your Description of Goods, Country of Origin and Harmonisation Codes! If you have a number of different products to sell, start compiling harmonisation codes now.
Here is a link for the Taric site for ROI customers. You need these codes to ship goods outside the EU or from outside the EU into the EU. You will not be able to ship with DPD without these.
The HMRC has released a tool to help find the HS codes for import into the UK and to know the VAT and duty for that HS code that will be due on import into the UK. For ROI customers click here and here.
You can also find information as to how to find and obtain your HS codes here.
DPD will not carry goods that require checks at the Border, including food items and goods of plant and/or animal origin. Please see the list of prohibited and restricted goods.
Shipping Multi-parcel Consignments
For customs clearance purposes, all multi-parcel shipments must be declared together to Revenue and shipped together therefore you need to ensure that the number of parcels manifested on a consignment is the number of parcels shipped and received into Athlone.
3. Ensure that you are capturing email and mobile numbers for all of your consignees. Why?
As this information will be critical to each shipment travelling between Ireland and GB and GB and Ireland. The contact details will be used to communicate with your customers to make them aware of any taxes and duties payable. If we don’t receive these details in the consignment information, we will not be able to process the shipment.
For goods travelling from Northern Ireland, as part of the Northern Ireland Protocol and Withdrawal Agreement, for the vast majority of goods travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, no customs formalities will be required from January 1st 2021. This means DPD Ireland will NOT ask for any customs details from you for your goods travelling from NI to GB, ROI or EU.
Note: We want to remind you that if you are shipping to consumers (i.e. not a business) in GB, you should have a GB VAT number. If you don't have one, please make sure to apply for one today. Click here to apply. You'll find all the details you need on the HMRC website available here.
For any customs related queries, you can contact customs.team@dpd.ie
Collections
NI to GB: No change — operates as it currently does.
GB to NI: New requirements from May 1, 2025. Businesses will need to provide specific data to book collections.
Business-to-Consumer Parcel movements
Personal-use goods sent to NI consumers will go via the find out more
DPD is already authorised, so recipients don’t need to register. Required data for B2C bookings from GB to NI includes:
- Name and address of sender from GB
- Name and address of receiver in NI
- B2C identifier flag or account level, parcel range or SLID*
- Description (per item in parcel/consignment)
- The total value of parcel/consignment
- Total weight of parcel/consignment
Business-to-Business Parcels
Business-to-Business Parcels
There are two categories based on the risk status of goods:
Not at Risk Goods
- Require UKIMS authorisation (by sender or receiver).
- DPD can handle declarations if provided:
- UKIMS number
- Item description, quantity, value, weight
- Country of origin, HS code (optional), EORI details import/export
No duty payment
Simplified declaration
At Risk Goods
- If no UKIMS authorisation, parcels treated like EU exports:
- Full customs declaration required
- Duties may apply
- Possible inspections
- Data required includes:
- Risk status declaration
- HS code, item and shipment details
- Country of origin, exporter/importer EORI
Customers with UKIMS registration
Confirm it’s a business delivery.
Declare goods as ‘not at risk’ (via MyDPD or API/EDI).
Provide a UKIMS Authorisation number.
Include details for each item:
Description
Quantity
Value
Weight
Country of origin
HS code (if known; optional with UKIMS)
Provide exporter and importer details (including EORI numbers where needed).
State the total value of the parcel(s)
If the customer uses their UKIMS authorisation, they only need to supply their EORI number in the manifest. If using the receiver’s UKIMS authorisation, you will need to provide both the receiver’s and their (exporter’s) EORI.
Procedures: Simplified declaration only.
Duty: No duty payment required.
Goods at risk
DPD will complete customs declarations for 'at risk' goods using details provided in the shipping manifest, including:
Confirmation it’s a business shipment
Goods marked as ‘at risk’ (via MyDPD or API/EDI)
Item-level details:
Description, quantity, value, weight
Country of origin
HS code
Exporter/importer details (EORI if known)
Total parcel value
Duty may apply to ‘at risk’ goods in these cases:
The shipment is valued over £135
The item’s tariff rate for NI is above zero or has extra duties (e.g. safeguard measures, anti-dumping, or quotas)
Applies to goods that meet the following criteria:
- Enter NI but may later be sold or consumed within the EU (e.g. in the Republic of Ireland)
- Are moved to NI for commercial processing (unless they can be classified in one of the approved purposes)
- Are not under UKIMS authorisation
Goods at risk without UKIMS authorisation
For 'at risk' goods shipped without UKIMS authorisation:
The shipment will be treated like an export to the EU, requiring a full customs declaration.
Duty may apply if the goods aren’t eligible for zero tariffs or other tariff reliefs.
Inspections by authorities may occur.
DPD will handle the customs declaration using the following info from the shipping manifest:
Confirm it’s a business shipment.
Declare the goods as ‘at risk’ (via MyDPD or API/EDI).
Provide per-item details:
Description
Quantity
Value
Weight
Country of origin
HS code
Include exporter and importer details (EORI if known).
Total parcel value.
FAQ Title
Need more help?
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us at customs.team@dpd.ie. Our team of experts is ready to help you navigate these new procedures to Northern Ireland after 1 May.
Please refer to nistakeholderengagementteam@hmrc.gov.uk to raise queries directly with HMRC that cannot be answered from the Government guidance already published.
Sending parcel to and from Northern Ireland
Good communications resources to help move from GB to NI
Sending parcels between GB and NI under the Windsors Agreement
Apply for authorisation for the UK Internal Market Scheme if you bring goods into Northern Ireland
