What Are Type D Declarations | Blog | Customs4trade

At the end of June, Belgian customs made it possible to use a pre-lodge declaration in PLDA for imports arriving via the seaports of Antwerp or Zeebrugge. This procedure, foreseen by article 171 of the UCC and called a type D declaration, allows economic operators that know the details of their import declarations in advance to pre-lodge import declarations before the goods are presented to customs. Customs only accepts this declaration when the goods are presented, i.e., when customs receives the arrival notification of the seagoing vessel via the port authorities. It is therefore not a simplified or additional declaration.

Currently, the type D declaration is only possible for imports arriving via seaports. For modes of transport other than maritime, economic operators must always contact customs, as their intervention is necessary.

Why Use the Type D Declaration?

• Faster processing, since customs perform the risk analysis before the goods are presented.
• There is no need to submit any additional customs authorization for filing a type D declaration as opposed to a type A declaration.
• The type D declaration may also serve as an entry summary declaration (ENS) (Article 130 (1) UCC).
• The type D declaration can also serve as a temporary storage declaration (Article 192 of the UCC IA).
• The system errors in PLDA when submitting the type D declaration have all been eliminated.

Read the note published by Belgian customs that outlines the advantages of using type D declarations.

How Do You Complete a Type D Declaration?

You enter code D in the second subdivision of box 1 of the standard declaration. All other boxes that you have to fill in on a standard type A declaration must also be filled in on a standard type D declaration. When the goods are presented to customs via the arrival message of the seagoing vessel from the port authorities, the customs authorities accept the type D declaration. The type D declaration will then have a final date of acceptance in box A in the top right corner but it will retain the code D in box 1, 2nd subdivision of the Single Document.

If the goods are not presented within 30 days of lodging the customs declaration, the customs declaration shall be deemed not to have been lodged.

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