NCTS5 (UK): HMRC Issue with N830 document code

HMRC have announced an issue which affects customers entering a specific "Previous document" code.

Some declarations are being rejected stating a rule G0034 error when certain Offices of Transit and Offices of Destination codes are used. Some declarations are accepted and released, but are then being rejected at the port, which results in the declarations being cancelled by customs. HMRC is currently working on solving this issue.

• HMRC state that:

• Transit movements involving goods which are being exported from GB or XI must be associated with an Export Declaration MRN made to CDS - Customs Declaration Service.
• This Export Declaration MRN should be referenced in the Transit Declaration at the most appropriate declaration level: Consignment, House Consignment, or Consignment Item, in either the ‘Previous Document’ or ‘Supporting Document’ data groups.
• If using the Previous Document data group, the Type data element derived from CL214 (Previous Document Type) should be NMRN - Declaration/Notification MRN, or an established alternative which does not confuse the nature of the previous document in countries of destination.
• If using the Supporting Document data group, the Type data element derived from CL213 (Supporting Document Type) should be NZZZ - Document equivalent to ‘ZZZ’ defined in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/341 (Appendix D2: Additional codes for the computerised transit system).
• Use of these codes is part of a workaround to bypass the actual export declaration MRN reference N830 (Goods declaration for exportation) which, due to overlap with specific AES (Automated Export System) functionality, cannot currently be used for goods exported from the UK moving via transit without restricting the Office of Destination able to be declared to only those which double as an EU Office of Exit (a customs office at the border of the EU which handles EU Export Declarations).
• If your intended Office of Destination for the transit procedure, is, an office of exit - Previous Document reference N830 may be used without issue at the House Consignment level of the declaration.
• When AES functionality is established in XI - N830 may be used for transit movements containing EU export goods departing from an XI (Northern Ireland) Office of Departure and will be necessary to ensure proper interaction between NCTS and AES on outbound EU export goods.

Steps to implement the workaround

If you receive the IE056 rejection message, with error G0034, after submitting your IE015 transit declaration with the relevant Office of Transit and Office of Destination codes, follow the steps below: 

• Open the goods item. On the Doc. types tab, go to the Previous documents section. For Type, do NOT use N830 (Export Declaration) as the type of previous document.
• Instead of N830, use an alternative code, such as NMRN (Declaration/Notification MRN), in the Previous document Type field.
• Provide the Export Movement Reference Number (MRN) in the Reference field of the 'Previous document' line.
  
  If it is not possible to provide the Export MRN in the previous document Reference number field, you should provide it in the Produced documents section using Type ‘NZZZ.’