Upcoming Planned Maintenance for the Customs Declaration Service

BY:

Niamh O'Connor
13 April 2023

SHARE:

CDS will be unavailable on Saturday, the 6th of May 2023, from 9:30 pm to 2am on the 7th of May 2023 due to the release of CDS 4.0.1

CDS release 4.0.1 will now take place on Saturday 06th May 2023. This will mean that CDS will be unavailable between Saturday 06th May 2023 9:30pm to 2am Sunday 07th May 2023.


Declarations submitted during this timeframe will be processed at the end of the downtime.

 

Creating, updating, or embarking a goods movement reference (GMR) during this time will be affected. For guidance on GVMS, please refer to the GVMS service availability and issues page.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-for-the-goods-vehicle-movement-service-service-availability-and-issues/register-for-the-goods-vehicle-movement-service-service-availability-and-issues

 

HMRC apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

The maintenance activity due to go ahead on Saturday, the 15th of April 2023, has now been cancelled, meaning CDS will be available as usual on Saturday, the 15th of April 2023.


OneCall™ Email assistance as and when required; A one-call solution for all your import, export and customs enquiries. Export help. Import help. Customs help.

Stay informed about customs and international trade matters by subscribing to our OneCall™ service. This comprehensive offering includes a dedicated email helpline for support, timely practical updates direct to your inbox (Did You Know?), monthly UK Customs & Trade Briefings and access to an interactive members' area with an exclusive community for our subscribers.

Subscribe Today ➝

International Trade Updates & Spotlight Newsletter

Subscribe to our free information emails covering international trade topics...

Subscribe to our newsletter ➝

MORE INDUSTRY INSIGHTS...

by Andy Baker • 20 October 2026
CDS release 5.3.0.1 is scheduled for deployment on 22 October 2026, introducing further declaration validation requirements and additions to the CDS code lists. The changes cover document codes, measurement units, goods location codes and Additional Information (AI) codes, including requirements for Northern Ireland declarations.
by Andy Baker • 22 September 2026
During this period, please note that any pre-lodged declarations that will be affected by the changes should be changed/amended prior to the goods arriving. If customs declarations are not corrected prior to arrival, they will be rejected.
by Andy Baker • 21 September 2026
Following the CDS update on 26 September 2026 (version 5.3.0), the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) will be unavailable during scheduled maintenance.
Show More