London, UK  - Three organisations will be running a series of seminars ahead of August's phased launch of the Customs Declaration System (CDS), the system set to completely replace the existing system for Customs declarations in the UK.

Agency Sector Management (ASM), the British International Freight Association (BIFA), and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are combining efforts to offer advice and guidance to businesses affected by the implementation of the new CDS system.

The seminars have been organised in response to concerns about the readiness of the new system, and to provide companies with the opportunity to fully understand what CDS is, why it is being introduced, how it will impact their businesses, and when the system will be fully launched.

“The move over to CDS marks the biggest change to impact the processes by which Customs declarations are managed since the introduction of CHIEF, which it replaces, and which is needed to enable importers or exporters to comply with the EU's recently introduced Union Customs Code (UCC),” said Robert Keen, Director General, BIFA.

“There are significant differences between CHIEF and CDS, and still a lot of unanswered questions about what will be required from our industry,” said Peter MacSwiney, Chairman, ASM.

“These seminars are partly in response to questions we receive from our users when I attend government meetings regarding Brexit and CDS.

"The seminars will provide insight into those differences and address the issues faced by companies that make Customs declarations, which will need time to adjust their internal computer systems to accommodate CDS.”

The seminars are being held at a number of locations across the UK during June and July, with the first taking place on June 12th, 2018.

“We are experiencing high demand for seminar places, and we recommend that anyone looking to attend these highly informative events registers their interest by May 11th,” said MacSwiney.

“Registering is simple - send us an email providing your name, email address, and the name of your company or organisation as well as the regional event you wish to attend.”

Parties can register their interest by sending an email to ASM at [email protected], and invitations with full details will also be distributed this week.