For hauliers, forwarders and weekly GB-Ireland runs
GB-Ireland RoRo customs: ENS, PBN, GMR and declarations
C&L Declarations handles the customs filings a truck needs to cross between Great Britain and Ireland: the ENS, the Irish import or export declaration, the UK export declaration, the PBN and the GMR. We're an Irish customs brokerage working for hauliers and forwarders on sailings to and from Dublin and Rosslare and on loads routed through Northern Ireland. Transit is arranged through our transit partner, and you get a quote before anything is filed.
Talk to our team
Send us the invoice and the route. We reply the same working day.
WhatsApp or call: 086 846 1240
Email: service@cldeclarations.com
Hours: Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm
What filings does a truck need between GB and Ireland?
ENS (safety and security)
For goods entering Ireland (in the EU's ICS2) or Great Britain. The carrier is responsible; we lodge it for you.
UK export declaration (CDS)
The UK side for goods leaving Great Britain, on HMRC's Customs Declaration Service.
PBN (pre-boarding notification)
Revenue's electronic envelope for the MRNs of everything on the vehicle, in both directions. No valid PBN, no boarding.
GMR (goods movement reference)
HMRC's reference from the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), needed at GB ports that use it, such as Holyhead.
How do goods from GB travel through Northern Ireland to Ireland?
In one of two ways, Revenue says: clear them through customs in Northern Ireland, or move them under a transit declaration raised in GB and complete the import in Ireland. For transit, the ENS and GMR must be done before the goods leave GB, and the transit should end at an authorised consignee's premises. We arrange the T1 through our transit partner and lodge the Irish import.
How does a GB-Ireland run work with us?
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Send the run details
Invoices, packing lists, vehicle registration and sailing, by WhatsApp or email.
We lodge the declarations
The Irish and UK declarations and the ENS go in early, and each MRN comes back to you.
PBN and GMR before check-in
You and the driver get the PBN and GMR references before the truck reaches the port.
Arrival and release
Before docking, the driver checks the channel on Revenue's RoRo Service. If Revenue calls a check, we stay with it until release, including HSE or Department of Agriculture holds.
Can you set up a weekly account for our runs?
Yes. For a regular lane we set you up once with the parties, EORI numbers, commodity codes and usual crossing; after that, you send the invoices and registration. Runs are invoiced together, weekly or monthly, at rates agreed before the first run. Duty and import VAT can be paid through our Revenue account and recharged, or through your own deferred payment account. Importers registered in Ireland for VAT and for Customs and Excise can postpone the import VAT to their VAT return. Need the ferry booked too? We arrange that through our logistics partners. UK brokers who only need the Irish side can use our Irish desk.
What do you need to send for each run?
✓ Invoice and packing list One per consignment on the vehicle.
✓ Consignor and consignee Names, addresses and EORI numbers.
✓ Goods details Description, commodity code if known, gross weight and packages.
✓ Vehicle Truck, van or trailer registration, and whether the driver travels.
✓ Sailing Route, ferry company, date and time.
✓ Statement on origin On the invoice, to claim 0% duty on UK-origin goods.
Questions we get asked
Frequently asked questions
What is a PBN and who creates it?
A pre-boarding notification (PBN) is Revenue's electronic envelope listing the MRNs of every customs declaration for the goods on a vehicle. Every vehicle booked as freight on a RoRo ferry into or out of Ireland needs one at 'Good to proceed to check-in' before it can board. The haulier is responsible but can delegate it to a broker such as C&L Declarations.
When does the ENS have to be lodged for a truck from GB?
Before the goods leave Great Britain. Revenue says the entry summary declaration (ENS), the safety and security filing for goods entering the EU, must reach Irish customs before the goods depart GB. The carrier is responsible for it. It's separate from the import declaration, and we lodge it with the run's other filings.
Do I need a PBN and a GMR for the same crossing?
Usually, yes. The PBN covers Revenue's side; the GMR is HMRC's, needed at GB ports that use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service, such as Holyhead. A truck sailing from Holyhead to Dublin needs a GMR to leave GB and a PBN before check-in, and the same applies in reverse. We create both and send the references to you and the driver.
Does an empty truck need a PBN?
Yes. Revenue's PBN guide says every commercial vehicle or trailer checked in as freight needs a PBN, even when it's empty; there's a 'my vehicle is empty' option. On routes through GB ports that use GVMS, HMRC also asks for a GMR for an empty trailer, and we create one for an empty truck too. We can set up both for an empty leg.
Do you do T1 transit through Northern Ireland?
We arrange it. T1 and T2 transit declarations go through our transit partner, and we line them up with the ENS, the GMR and the Irish import declaration that clears the goods when the transit ends. Revenue says transit into Ireland should end at an authorised consignee's premises, so tell us the delivery address when you ask for a quote.
Send us this week's runs
WhatsApp or call 086 846 1240, email service@cldeclarations.com, or use the quote form. We reply the same working day, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00, and you get a clear quote before anything is filed.
Or email service@cldeclarations.com · Replies the same working day