CHIEF, or Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight, was the United Kingdom’s legacy electronic customs declaration system used to process import and export declarations. It allowed traders, freight forwarders, and customs agents to submit customs data, calculate duties and taxes, and support cargo clearance. CHIEF has been replaced by the Customs Declaration Service, or CDS, for most UK customs declarations, so businesses now generally use CDS processes, data elements, and declaration requirements instead.
CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight) was the UK HMRC legacy system for processing customs declarations, replaced by the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) between 2022 and 2023.
- Processed both import and export declarations for UK trade
- Most UK businesses transitioned to CDS
- Legacy references to CHIEF should be updated to CDS procedures
For related logistics context, see glossary entries on Customs Clearance, Customs Entry, Customs Brokerage, and Importer of Record.
