On Monday 1st July 2024, the current New Computerised Transit System (NCTS4) will be replaced by a newer version called NCTS5. This is the start of a six-month transition where full functionality should be in place by January 22nd 2025.

Upgrading to NCTS5 is a legal requirement of all Common Transit Convention (CTC) member countries, and the new system will offer improved functionality. A few of the new features of NCTS5 are:

• Mandatory use of 6-digit commodity codes (HS numbers)
• Ability to lodge a transit declaration prior to the presentation of goods, with the possibility to amend it before presentation
• Office of Incidents registration which will allow real-time reporting of incidents that take place en-route
• Transition towards electronic data processing, with a move from paper-based documents to digital presentation of the Movement Reference Number (MRN). This means the drivers will have less paperwork but will need a decent smart phone!

IMPORTANT

The guidance from HMRC is that from 6am to 1pm there will be a significant downtime which will affect all UK agents , and NO Export vehicles should report to an Inland Border Facility until the system is fully restored. The downtime is estimated only , so please stay in touch with your account manager at Harbour Shipping for updates. Unlike other systems there is no period of testing or cross-over between systems, so as of the 1st July all transits from the UK will be on NCTS5 and our teams will be working with new untested software so further delays are inevitable.

Like all new systems there is a possibility that there could be further delays to these estimations, but we will try and keep all customers informed on the day. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the new system and the impact this might have on your business.