Create a goods movement reference
Source: gov.uk (2025-08-31)

Get a goods movement reference to move goods through locations which use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service.

Use this service to get a goods movement reference after registering with the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-for-the-goods-vehicle-movement-service).

You’ll not need to get a goods movement reference if you’re either:
- bringing goods into the UK for personal use (https://www.gov.uk/bringing-goods-into-uk-personal-use)
- bringing commercial goods into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) in your baggage (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bringing-commercial-goods-into-great-britainin-your-baggage)
- taking commercial goods out of Great Britain in your baggage (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/taking-commercial-goods-out-of-great-britain-in-your-baggage)
What you’ll need

You need to check what is required to get a goods movement reference. You must enter a reference for all goods contained in a vehicle, trailer or container.

Goods from the EU to Great Britain

You will need:
- a vehicle registration number if your movement is accompanied
- the trailer number or container reference number if your movement is unaccompanied
- reference numbers for Admission Temporaire or Temporary Admission (ATA) Carnet and Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) Carnet movements, if relevant
- paper ATA or TIR carnets, for ATA or TIR Carnet movements — these must travel with the goods throughout the journey
- an imports Movement Reference Number (MRN) if declared into the Customs Declaration Service
- an EORI number, for goods where the trader is authorised to make declarations in their own records
For all Common Transit Convention movements, you will need:
- a MRN that will have been generated by the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS)
- an offline version of the Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) that travels with the goods, if NCTS is unavailable at office of departure (this would be entered under Manual Transit Procedure on your goods movement reference)
You must not include associated import declaration references in the goods movement reference for goods moving under Common Transit Convention.

You can choose to include the safety and security import entry summary declaration MRNs, but it is not mandatory.

Goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

You will need:
- a vehicle registration number if your movement is accompanied
- the trailer number or container reference number if your movement is unaccompanied
- reference numbers for ATA and TIR Carnet movements, if relevant
- paper ATA or TIR carnets, for ATA or TIR Carnet movements — these must travel with the goods throughout the journey
- an imports MRN if declared into the Customs Declaration Service
- the EORI number of an authorised trader where that authorised trader is making declarations in their own records for goods being moved
- the safety and security import entry summary declaration MRNs
For all Common Transit Convention movements, you will need:
- a MRN that will have been generated by NCTS
- an offline version of the TAD that travels with the goods, if NCTS is unavailable at office of departure (this would be entered under Manual Transit Procedure on your goods movement reference)
You must not include associated import declaration references in the goods movement reference for goods moving under Common Transit Convention.

For movements of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland using entry in declarant’s records, read how to complete your goods movement reference (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-entry-in-declarants-records-for-goods-moved-from-great-britain-to-northern-ireland).

When using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service, your arrival and presentation of goods notifications will be automatically submitted on your behalf if you include the entry summary declaration and MRN into your goods movement reference.

Find out more about making an entry summary declaration using the Import Control System 2 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/make-an-entry-summary-declaration-using-the-import-control-system-2).

Goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain

You will need:
- a vehicle registration number if your movement is accompanied
- the trailer number or container reference number if your movement is unaccompanied
- reference numbers for ATA and TIR Carnet movements, if relevant
- paper ATA or TIR carnets, for ATA or TIR Carnet movements — these must travel with the goods throughout the journey
- a combined customs and safety and security export declaration — Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) declared into the Customs Declaration Service — find out the circumstances in which the combined customs and safety and security declaration applies (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/moving-qualifying-goods-from-northern-ireland-to-the-rest-of-the-uk#specific)
- an Export Accompanying Document for an indirect export from Northern Ireland to Great Britain declared in Ireland (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-an-indirect-export-from-northern-ireland)
- the safety and security export summary declaration MRN for goods moving under transit using either a TAD, Transit Security Accompanying Document or TIR carnet
For all Common Transit Convention movements, you will need:
- a MRN that will have been generated by NCTS
- an offline version of the TAD that travels with the goods, if NCTS is unavailable at office of departure (this would be entered under Manual Transit Procedure on your goods movement reference)
Goods from Great Britain to the EU

You will need:
- a vehicle registration number if your movement is accompanied
- the trailer number or container reference number if your movement is unaccompanied
- reference numbers for ATA and TIR Carnet movements, if relevant — paper carnets must travel with the goods throughout the journey
- the DUCR for all the combined customs and safety and security export declarations declared into the Customs Declaration Service — you can upload multiple declarations if you need to
- the safety and security exit summary declaration MRN when an exit summary declaration is needed (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safety-and-security-requirements-on-imports-and-exports), except where a DUCR has been included for all the goods in a transit movement
For all Common Transit Convention movements, you will need:
- all DUCRs if the authorised consignor does not meet the criteria to use a Transit Accompanying Document MRN
- the Transit Accompanying Document MRN, if the goods are not excise goods, are departing from an ‘arrived export’ location (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-which-locations-need-an-arrived-export-declaration-from-1-january-2022) and the movement was started by an authorised consignor if holding certain authorisations
- an offline version of the TAD that travels with the goods, if NCTS is unavailable at office of departure (this would be entered under Manual Transit Procedure on your goods movement reference)
- the Transit Accompanying Document MRN if the goods do not require an export declaration — for example, when they are travelling through Great Britain from Ireland or have been taken from temporary storage (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-put-goods-into-a-temporary-storage-facility)
If you move goods under ATA carnet or TIR carnet declarations at Goods Vehicle Movement Service locations, you must make sure your ATA or TIR references are included in a goods movement reference before attending the port or inland border facility for endorsement of the documentation.

The movement of the goods could be delayed if you do not.

Getting a goods movement reference without needing to include declaration reference information

There are circumstances when you can get a goods movement reference without needing to include any declaration references.

When you declare goods orally or by conduct

You can declare certain goods orally or by conduct at the border. ‘By conduct’ means that when you arrive at a point of exit or entry for Great Britain, you can make a ‘declaration by conduct’ by:
- walking through a customs control point (this can be a green channel signed ‘nothing to declare’) with the goods, if you’re an individual on foot
- driving (or being driven) past a customs control point with the goods inside your vehicle, if you’re importing or exporting goods in a vehicle
- continuing your onward journey, if there are no customs control points
You’ll need to get a goods movement reference if you’re moving an empty trailer or any other commercial goods that can be declared orally or by conduct (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-goods-applicable-to-oral-and-by-conduct-declarations) for goods moved from:
- Great Britain to Northern Ireland
- the EU to Great Britain
- Great Britain to the EU
You can do this by selecting either the ‘oral or by conduct declarations’ or ‘empty’ option within the Goods Vehicle Movement Service.

These types of declaration must only be used when appropriate and for goods applicable to oral and by conduct declarations (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-goods-applicable-to-oral-and-by-conduct-declarations).

If your goods do not meet these criteria, you must not use the oral or by conduct to create your goods movement reference. If you do your journey may be delayed and you may incur a penalty.

In some cases, you may need to complete a safety and security declaration (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-need-to-make-an-entry-summary-declaration), where you must indicate if your goods are moving under contract of carriage (the service will give more information on how to do this).

Not every port will accept declaring goods orally or by conduct. You should check with your carrier before moving the goods.

When you declare some postal items

If you’re a designated postal operator or an Extra-Territorial Office of Exchange, you can get a goods movement reference without needing to include declaration reference information for some items.

This applies to goods moving under Universal Postal Union rules with:
- CN37, CN38 and CN41 movement documents
- CN22 and CN23 item declaration forms
If the goods do not meet these criteria, you must not use postal options to create your goods movement reference. If you do your journey may be delayed and you may incur a penalty.

Moving qualifying goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain through Ireland

You do not need an import declaration if you move qualifying goods from Northern Ireland (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/moving-qualifying-goods-from-northern-ireland-to-the-rest-of-the-uk) through Ireland to reach Great Britain, unless you’re moving:
- excise goods
- an endangered species (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports)
- goods related to Weapons of Mass Destruction (for example, fissionable material)
When you create your goods movement reference, select the ‘oral or by conduct declaration or no declaration required’ option in the Goods Vehicle Movement Service.

You or the person moving the goods will also need:
- evidence to show that the goods are eligible qualifying goods
- access to a travel document issued in the UK setting out the destination of the goods (to show that they are only passing through Ireland)
Get a goods movement reference

You’ll need the sign in details you used when you registered for the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-for-the-goods-vehicle-movement-service).

Start now (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/goods-movement-system/dashboard)

Online services may be slow during busy times. Check if there are any problems with this service (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/goods-vehicle-movement-service-service-availability-and-issues).

What happens next

You need to present the goods movement reference at the port you’re leaving from. Contact the carrier at the port to find out how to do this.

The carrier will allow you to embark if the goods movement reference is valid.

You must include declaration references in the goods movement reference for all goods you are carrying.

You may receive a penalty if you import goods at locations where you need to make pre-lodgement, and they are moved without providing enough evidence that a declaration has been made.

You must follow instructions on if you need to get your goods checked by customs on arrival or if you’re able to continue your journey.

Bringing goods into the UK

You should use your goods movement reference in the ‘check if you need to report for an inspection (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/driver-inspection-notification/start)’ service to understand if your goods are held. If you’re arriving into the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel, you’ll need to attend an Inland Border Facility to have these checks carried out. For all other Goods Vehicle Movement Service locations, you must proceed to the inspection facility within or near the port if your goods are held.

In some cases you may also be stopped by Border Force officers within the port to have checks performed on your vehicle or load.

If this happens, you must still attend an inland border facility to complete customs functions if you have received instructions to do so.

The goods must be taken to an inland border facility directly and the goods must be in the same condition as they were at the time of importation.

You may be liable to a penalty of up to £2,500 if you do not follow HMRC instructions.

Taking goods out of the UK

Check which locations need an arrived export declaration (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-which-locations-need-an-arrived-export-declaration-from-1-january-2022).