Descartes e-Customs™
Stay compliant. Stay connected. Stay ahead.
Faster, accurate and compliant customs processing
Reduce the risk of delays and compliance issues. Descartes e-customs solutions help UK businesses make customs clearances easy, accessible, and efficient.

Customs software modules designed for peace of mind
Descartes helps you avoid compliance risk and move with the confidence of the industry’s trusted standard. Each e-Customs module is built to reduce risk, improve accuracy, and meet HMRC requirements, giving you the same level of control trusted by industry leaders.
Imports (CDS)
Works with all declaration types and all inventory /non inventory linked & non inventory linked ports and Communicty Systems Providers (CSPs). It also includes additional functionality to work with Community Network Service (CNS) couriers.
Exports (CDS)
Descartes e-customs offers all export message types along with dual running of Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) exports and CDS exports (subject to the HMRC timetable and demise of CHIEF).
New Computerised Transit System (NCTS)
Start or finish your transit movements under Authorised Consignor and / or Authorised Consignee using Simplified Procedures or under the Normal Procedure.
Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS)
For goods arriving at UK roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) or certain Short Sea Ports report the vehicle and consignment declaration details prior to being able to depart from the port of departure.
Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS)
Manages excise movements to and from an Excise Warehouse produces detailed audit reports and can generate any necessary Export declarations from the export EMCS movement and cross-refers to the EMCS movement to fulfil regulatory requirements.
Simplified Customs Declaration Process (SCDP)
Covers all SCDP message types and captures a comprehensive audit trail from the Simplified Frontier Declaration (SFD) to the Final Supplementary Declaration (FSD), with a suite of reports to assist with audits.
GB Safety & Security (GB S&S)
Submit your consignment data for safety and security pre-border checks prior to the goods arrival and file entry summary (ENS) declarations as well as diversion and arrival notifications. Connectivity to EU Import Control System (ICS), FR and IR filings is also available. All new customers would have to be Global Shippers Forum (GSF).
Cargo Community System (CCS)-UK
(CCS)-UK is the UK’s electronic air cargo community provider, they connect inventory linked cargo from airlines and logistics operators with HMRC, however they do not have a user interface. If you want to link to the CCS-UK community, we can provide that connectivity and interface.
Duty Management
The Duty Management set of modules encompasses a range of options for suspending or avoiding duty payments. Which is right for you will depend on your specific circumstances and your customs advisor should be able to help. There are 3 modules in this category:
Customs Warehouse Management
Manage both bonded and free circulation stock with smart stock selection and creation of receipts, removals, declarations and documents. Keep your existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Warehouse Management System (WMS) platforms in place and connect them with standard interfaces.
Excise Warehouse Management
Just like a customs warehouse, but for your excise duty suspended stock.
Descartes e-Customs Inward Processing Relief (IPR)
Helps businesses manage IPR authorisation online from a streamlined user interface.
Other options include:
- Descartes e-Customs External Temporary Storage Facility (ETSF) using CCS-UK inventory systems
Streamline trade at Cargo Community System CCS-UK inventory-linked airports by allowing goods to be moved from the Frontier to be held in temporary storage. - Descartes e-Customs Designated Export Place (DEP) using CCS-UK inventory systems
Receive, arrive, and obtain permission to progress goods from an authorised business’s own premises with shortcuts to create and link declarations. - Descartes Pentant Inventory
Allows the creation of Pentant Inventory records from within the e-Customs screens to complete the manifest record.
What are the costs of a customs software?
Discover the costs of integrating into a customs management software solutions. We break down pricing and explain how different solutions are structured, helping businesses make informed decisions.

Avoid the cost of non-compliance with Descartes e-Customs
Customs errors don’t just cost time, they cost reputation, customers, and growth. Descartes e-Customs gives you confidence and control, helping you stay ahead of every change in UK and EU regulations.
- Protect your business from compliance penalties.
- Avoid costly shipment delays.
- Maintain full visibility and audit readiness.
Trusted by the industry
Descartes e-Customs is the proven digital platform for customs compliance, built to evolve with global trade regulations.
- Used by hundreds of UK forwarders and brokers
- Connected directly to HMRC and major UK ports
- Backed by industry-recognised compliance expertise

A smarter way to stay compliant
Our secure, web-based platform simplifies every stage of customs management, from data submission to audit control, helping you work faster and safer.
- File import and export declarations in minutes.
- Use templates and smart data re-use to save time.
- Get real-time HMRC status updates.
- Scale easily as your business grows.

How is Descartes e-Customs priced?
There is no one solution for all businesses and as such our modules are designed to work for companies of all types, from small to large, simple to complex. How much your solution subscriptions costs will depend on what you need, and what you need can be broken down into three categories:
- Modules needed.
- A monthly committed declaration volume.
- The number of concurrent users required to have access at the same time.
We'll start by outlining the key elements of our pricing structure to give you a clear understanding of the factors that influence costs. Following this, we will delve into the specifics of Descartes e-Customs pricing, detailing the various modules and options available to tailor the solution to your business needs.
Core Capabilities and Enhanced Options
As the name implies, Core is the central module needed to access the software and run any additional modules, but don’t let the name mislead you into thinking it’s barebones. The core modules come with pretty much everything you need to operate customs clearance in the UK.
With Core you get access to:
- Imports (CDS) – Works with all declaration types at all inventory linked & non inventory linked ports and CSPs providers. It also includes additional functionality to work with CNS courier.
- Exports (CDS) – e-customs offer all export message types along with dual running of CHIEF exports and CDS exports (subject to the HMRC timetable and demise of CHIEF).
- New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) – Start or finish your transit movements under Authorised Consignor and / or Authorised Consignee using Simplifed Procedures or under the Normal Procedure.
- GB Safety & Security (GB S&S)– Submit your consignment data for safety and security pre-border checks prior to the goods arrival and file entry summary (ENS) declarations as well as diversion and arrival notifications. Connectivity to EU ICS filings is also available.
- Simplified Customs Declaration Process (SCDP) Formerly Customs Freight Simplified Procedures (CFSP) – Covers all SCDP message types and captures a comprehensive audit trail from the Simplified Frontier Declaration (SFD) to the Final Supplementary Declaration (FSD), with a suite of reports to assist with audits.
- Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS) – Manages excise movements to and from an Excise Warehouse produces detailed audit reports and can generate any necessary Export declarations from the export EMCS movement and cross-refers to the EMCS movement to fulfil regulatory requirements.
- CCS-UK – CCS-UK is the UK’s electronic air cargo community provider, they connect inventory linked cargo from airlines and logistics operators with HMRC, however they do not have a user interface. If you want to link to the CCS-UK community, we can provide that connectivity and interface.
- Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) – for goods arriving at UK RoRo or certain Short Sea Ports report the vehicle and consignment declaration details prior to being able to depart from the port of departure.
The Duty Management set of modules encompasses a range of options for suspending or avoiding duty payments. Which is right for you will depend on your specific circumstances and your customs advisor should be able to help.
Modules in this category:
- Customs Warehouse Management – Manage both bonded and free circulation stock with smart stock selection and creation of receipts, removals, declarations and documents. Keep your existing ERP and WMS systems in place and connect them with standard interfaces.
- Excise Warehouse Management – Just like a customs warehouse, but for your excise duty suspended stock.
- Descartes e-Customs Inward Processing Relief (IPR) – Helps businesses manage IPR authorisation online from a streamlined user interface. * (OPR) on request.
Other options include:
- Descartes e-Customs External Temporary Storage Facility (ETSF) using CCS-UK inventory systems – Streamline trade at Cargo Community System CCS-UK inventory-linked airports by allowing goods to be moved from the Frontier to be held in temporary storage.
- Descartes e-Customs Designated Export Place (DEP) using CCS-UK inventory systems – Receive, arrive, and obtain permission to progress goods from an authorised business’s own premises with shortcuts to create and link declarations.
- Descartes Pentant Inventory: Allows the creation of Pentant Inventory records from within the e-Customs screens to complete the manifest record.
Committed volumes + Overages - Committed volumes allow for a predictable expense each month, while still offering competitive pricing. Overages avoid a hard cap when volumes are reached, but if you go over consistently, it may be better to increase your volumes. Line items do not cost extra, you can have as many as you would like (up to the HMRC/CDS cap of 99) on a declaration without it taking extra from your volumes.
Volumes shared across modules: In most cases, messaging volumes are shared across modules, meaning you don't need to worry about where to spend your message account, only that you have enough to cover your various operations. The exceptions to this rule are Customs Warehousing Removals, where a separate messaging count is required to record removals, and Non-GB ICS ENS messages.
Users – concurrent max usage - Users limits are concurrent – (how many are logged on at the same time), allowing for flexibility in shifts. Users are added to the core module and then can be used across all modules.
How does Descartes customs filing pricing work?
Aside all the below, the Descartes base platform gives users a true SaaS platform with no server or hosting fees and no VPNs required. Along with 24/7 support with customs expertise there is also extensive self-paced training and online help.
Additionally, the platform provides a Standard API for seamless integration with existing systems, dedicated customs focus with workflows and functionality all built around efficient, accurate and easy compliance.
Base Platform
- Starting from £178 per month
- Set up fee of £704 + VAT
- Includes the Core module
- Base user/volume package
Optional Extras
- £57.80 monthly per user.
- Based on concurrent usage to allow for flexibility in shifts.
- Users shared across all modules.
- £150 - £900 per month
- Duty Management
- CCS-UK
- Tiered pricing structure with discounts available for committed volumes.
- Volumes shared across message types and modules, except for customs warehousing.
- Tailored to meet the needs of more complex projects.
- Integrated support
- Project management
- Support with transfering existing data.
Insights & Resources for UK Customs
Stay informed with expert blogs and practical content covering customs & regulatory solutions for the UK market.





