HM Revenue & Customs has written to CILT to update its members on the arrangements for the UK tobacco track and trace system at the end of the transition period from 11pm on 31st December 2020. 

The UK will continue to operate a tobacco track and trace system after the transition period and will be making the minimum necessary changes to the current system to minimise impacts on businesses.

The UK track & trace service provider De La Rue will continue to operate the registry of economic operator and facility ID codes, enabling businesses to continue to use their current ID codes after the transition period. De La Rue will also provide the additional services necessary, including the development of a new UK gateway and data repository for collating, managing and storing the tracking data, which will replace the current EU data repository.   

Businesses involved in the tracking of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco will need to continue to track and submit data for the movement of, and financial transactions relating to these tobacco products.  

Businesses that only sell tobacco products to the public and do not currently submit tracking data to the EU tracking system do not need to take any action.

What is changing

If your business currently submits data for the movement of, or financial transactions, relating to tobacco products in Great Britain, the data will need to be submitted to the new UK gateway instead of the EU system. 

As some EU rules will continue to apply in Northern Ireland, if your business currently submits data for the movement of, or financial transactions, relating to tobacco products in Northern Ireland, the data will need to be submitted to the new UK gateway and the EU system.  

What you need to do

HMRC is working with De La Rue to ensure you have the advice and support you need to help you make any necessary changes. This Track and Trace Onboarding Pack explains some actions you need to take before the end of the transition period to ensure that you can connect to and submit data to the new UK gateway. It explains how:

• you will need to get access credentials from De La Rue to enable you to connect and submit data to the UK gateway. Credentials to allow access to the test environment will be available from 26th October.
  
  
• the uniform resource locator (URL) endpoint for your scanning equipment will need to be amended to ensure that you can submit data to the UK Gateway.
  
  
• if you submit data for tobacco product in Northern Ireland, the URL endpoint for your scanning equipment will need to be amended to allow you to simultaneously submit data to the UK and EU systems. To do this you will need to make arrangements with your scanning equipment solution provider to change the URL endpoint. De La Rue will issue the URL endpoint for the UK gateway by 12 October. Your scanning equipment solution provider must complete the adjustments by 11pm on 31st December.