Apply for a manual release of certain plant, animal and food products
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-15)

Use form SPS1 if the Border Trade Matching Service (BTMS) cannot process an automatic release of your sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods on the Customs Declaration Service.

You can use this form to apply for a manual release of the following sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulated products:
- horticultural fruit and vegetable products
- plants and plant related products
- live animals
- products of animal origin
- high risk food (not of animal origin)
- illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) caught fish
Before you apply

You must:
- give Defra an advance notification using the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system)
- make an import frontier declaration (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-full-import-declaration)
- respond to any ‘no match’ messages generated by BTMS
- check if you are eligible to apply
Once advance notification is received, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Port Health Authorities will share their release decisions with HMRC using the BTMS (for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) SPS regulated products).

When a release decision is made, your regulated goods receive an automated customs clearance.

If you have not received an automated customs clearance when declaring your goods, use this form to apply for a manual release.

Check if you are eligible to apply

The following imports are excluded from the BTMS:
- imports into Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man (affected goods should follow the usual process for importing goods into the UK (https://www.gov.uk/import-goods-into-uk))
- animals that enter under the Pet Travel Scheme
- animals or animal products imported for research, diagnostic or sampling analysis purposes
- imports under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
- imports from Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Faroes, Lichtenstein, the Åland Islands, the Canary Islands, the Channel Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mount Athos or Reunion
- imports that have subsequent enforcement action by Lead Authorities after being refused entry
- imports with any additional customs checks that HMRC or Border Force instigate (for example, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) documentary checks)
- live animal imports when the Animal and Plant Health Agency have issued a detention notice
- personal imports
- goods removed from a Customs Warehouse or any other customs special procedure (such as inward processing into free circulation)
How to complete the form

You need to:

Download and save the form on your computer.

Open it using the latest free version of Adobe Reader (http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/).

Complete it on-screen.

(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68e8b52ab6ae95e3c76907f8/Border_Trade_Matching_Service__BTMS__formerly_ALVS_Manual_release_request_form.pdf)

Border Trade Matching Service manual release request form (SPS1) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68e8b52ab6ae95e3c76907f8/Border_Trade_Matching_Service__BTMS__formerly_ALVS_Manual_release_request_form.pdf)

PDF, 241 KB, 1 page

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