Digital Border Services Issue Impacting Trade

Dear traders,

Defra is aware of an ongoing issue affecting some digital border services, including IPAFFS. They are actively investigating the scope and root cause and are working at pace to implement a fix as soon as possible.

Please be assured they have robust contingency plans in place to maintain the smooth flow of trade and are closely monitoring the situation at all points of entry.

If you are experiencing issues with IPAFFS, please take the following immediate action:

Email Stormincidentresponse@defra.gov.uk
Your message must include your MRN and all CHED reference numbers and brief details of the issue.
Failure to provide these details will prevent resolution and may lead to delays in the clearance of your goods.

Important – please do not contact or copy the following teams, as the Storm Incident team will undertake this action where necessary:

• HMRC’s National Clearance Hub (NCH)
• Port Health Authorities (PHA)
• Port Authorities

Update on BTMS:
Due to the current situation, the BTMS system implementation downtime previously scheduled between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM today will no longer go ahead.

We will provide further updates as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to resolve this issue quickly

Stay informed about the latest Port Health news by registering at: https://www.porthealth.uk/contact/