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Create a new Due Diligence Statement (DDS)

On the homepage, click on “Documents” > “EU Deforestation’’:

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Click on the blue button, “Create”.

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Note

If the number of DDS exceeds 10,000, a '+' sign will appear in the 'Showing Results' section.

DDS Sections

Note

You will be guided through a succession of steps that successively refine the attributes of DDS applications. Each succeeding step relies on the information provided in the previous section. The following table specifies the utility of these sections.

Box

DDS Section

Section Description

Box 1

Reference Number

This is the DDS Reference Number. It is unique for every DDS submitted and is the number entered in the customs declaration, in the supporting document section (TARIC document type and reference number).

Verification Number

The Verification Number is a security token known only to the declarant (operator, trader, or its authorized representative, if applicable) and the Competent Authority. It can be communicated confidentially, together with the Reference Number, to a downstream operator, trader, or its authorized representative who wishes to include an upstream DDS reference in their own DDS.

Company Internal Reference

This is an informal, unstructured internal reference number, which can be entered by the declarant operator, or if left blank, is system-generated. It is intended for internal use only to facilitate DDS retrieval (search) while in DRAFT or SUBMITTED status, where a DDS Reference Number has not yet been made available to the operator.

Tip: Please do not use spaces, as this can affect subsequent searches

Box 2

Activity

One of the following options must be selected:

1. Import - in case the relevant product enters the Union market and is declared for ‘release for free circulation’ at the Customs.

2. Export – in case the relevant product leaves the Union market and is declared for ‘export’ at the Customs.

3. Domestic Production – in cases when the relevant product is produced or manufactured within the Union

4. Trade – in case the relevant product is made available on the market.

Box 3

Operator/Trader Name and Address

1. If the user is registered in only one operator entity, the fields in this box are automatically filled and cannot be modified.

2. If the user is registered in more than one operator entity, the field “Name” provides a drop-down list of all user registrations that can be selected.

3. If the user is an authorized representative, they must fill in all fields of the empty box with the operator's details. They will also appear in a separate box called 'Authorized Representative.' In this case, Company A is the authorized representative and creates an EU Login account to register as an Economic Operator for its consulting business. Company A then submits a DDS on behalf of Company B, the importer operator, entering Company B’s details in Box 3: 'Operator/Trader Name and Address.' Once the DDS is saved, it will appear in both dashboards; however, the represented operator (Company B) is not registered in the system as an operator, therefore they cannot login and view the DDSs submitted by their Authorised Representative.

Box 4

Place of Activity

The content of this section depends on the “Activity” selected in Box 2. This is a non-mandatory group of information. Providing information in this field will ensure a smooth interaction with the correct competent authority in the case of follow-up questions related to the DDS. It can contain three separate fields, depending on the type of activity selected in field ‘2. Activity’:

Country of activity: The user can select this field when choosing activity ‘Import’ or ‘Domestic’ as operator, or ‘Trade’ as trader in Box ‘2. Activity’. In this field, the user can enter the Member State in which the relevant products that the DDS covers are placed on or made available on the Union market. If a user wants to place or make available the products in the Member State in which it is established, then it can copy this Member State with the help of a button next to the dropdown menu.

Country of entry: The user can select this field when choosing activity ‘Import’ in Box ‘2. Activity’. In this field, the user can enter the Member State where the products that the DDS covers will be placed under the customs procedure ‘release for free circulation’.

Country of exit: The user can select this field when choosing activity ‘Export’ in Box ‘2. Activity’. In this field, the user can enter the Member State where the products that the DDS covers will be placed under the customs procedure ‘export’.

Box 5

Communication for Competent Authority

This is an optional free-text field for comments intended for the Competent Authority and provided by the declarant operator user.

Box 6

Commodity or Product Information  

(If a Referenced Statement is declared, which contains the geolocation of the Commodity(ies) or Product(s), then the geolocation information for these commodities or products is not required in the DDS Box 6.)

One or more commodities or products must be selected from a list. Please note:

1. The Commodity/Product description is mandatory.

2. For Import or Export activities, the Net Mass (in kg) is mandatory. Otherwise, at least one measurement unit must be provided: Net Mass in kg, Volume in m³, or Supplementary Units (if applicable for the specific HSCODE as per Annex II of the Regulation).

3. Scientific names are mandatory for products under the commodity Timber. In all other cases, it is optional. More than one Scientific name can be provided, particularly if the product contains more than one product with different scientific names.

4. Completion of the Production place section is mandatory unless the user is neither the importer nor the first producer. One or more production places may be entered and must include the following mandatory details: geolocation coordinates (“Import a GeoJson file” or manually use the “GeoEditor map tool”), “Country of Production”, “Area (ha)”, and “Type”. The “Producer Name” field refers to the name of the producer of the commodity and should not be confused with the supplier's name, particularly if the supplier only buys and sells the product. Both the “Producer Name” and “Production Place Description” fields are optional but recommended.

Step 1

A new window will appear requesting an internal reference number.

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If no number is provided, the system will assign one when the new DDS will be saved for the first time. Click on the “Confirm” button, and you will be redirected to the following page.

Step 2

This step contains a new statement document to fill with mandatory fields marked with a red star*.    

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To start filling in the Commodity(ies) or Product(s) information, click on the “+Add Commodity or Product” button.

Note

If a Referenced previous Statement is referenced, which contains the geolocation of all Commodity(ies) or Product(s), then the geolocation information for these commodities or products is not required in the DDS Box 6. For parts of relevant products that have not been subject to due diligence, operators shall exercise due diligence and provide geolocation.

To add one or more commodity(ies) or products, select from a list of codes using the interactive tree structure, or by typing a keyword in the search field to find the desired HS code.      

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After selecting the commodity code, provide additional mandatory information such as commodity or product description, quantity, and other optional fields.

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Note

Once the commodity details are filled in, please go directly to the next session if you are not the importer or the first producer.

GeoJson file and GeoEditor

GeoEditor map tool

A) If you don’t have a GeoJson file prepared in advance: click on “+ Add Production Place”, click on the Map Tool symbol and follow these steps:  

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1. Search by keyword: Type a location name, e.g., "Belgium", and press enter.

Note

If you know the location of the production place, you can directly navigate and zoom to the area without performing a search.

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2. The search result will show locations, and you can zoom in on your chosen area. You can also click on the “GO TO” button in one of the search result entries, which will cause the map to zoom in to that area.        

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Note

Please do not click on the “Confirm” button after entering the keyword. If you do, the GeoEditor pop-up will close with nothing selected.

3. Polygon or Rectangle Tool: Define enclosed areas using the polygon tool.      

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After making your selection, click “Confirm” to transfer the coordinates to the DDS form.  

GeoJson file  

B) If you have a GeoJson file to import: Click on the “Import” button to import a file for the entire commodity, or on the “Import GeoJson” symbol to import a file specifically for the production place of the commodity, and then follow these steps:            

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1. When opening the file, the system will display the data from the Json document in detail. Click “Confirm” to continue.        

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Note

If you wish to construct your own geolocation data files for DDS upload, the system supports the EPSG:4326 file format.

2. Complete the mandatory field ‘Country of Production', then click “Save“ and “Confirm”. The DDS will be recorded in the data base with an internal reference number.                   

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Step 3

To finalize the submission, once reviewing all the information on the document click on “Submit", then "Confirm & Sign”.            

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Please ensure that the checkbox for the visibility of your geolocation data is selected correctly.

The note below indicates the EUDR environment you are working in.

The DDS is now SUBMITTED and will be processed by the system and authorities. Once approved, and the status is updated to AVAILABLE, a unique Reference Number will be assigned to the DDS.

Referenced Statements tab

The “Referenced Statements” tab will appear in the DDS only after clicking on the “Save” button which will save a working copy of the DDSs as DRAFT. This functionality is useful when the DDS is submitted for a relevant product for which due diligence has already been exercised.  

1. Click on the “Save” button to ensure that the “Referenced Statements” tab appears in the DDS.        

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2. In the DDS, fill in Box 6 with the commodity(ies) information. This step is necessary even if the operator is not providing production information. You do not need to add any Production Place to the request.  

3. Once the commodity(ies) details are filled in, proceed to the “Referenced Statements” tab to enter information. You can either: manually enter the reference details, by clicking “+Add” or choose to import via a CSV file.        

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4. The CSV file should contain a list of DDSs “Reference Number” and their respective “Verification Number”, visible in Box 1 of the Statement Details.        

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5. The system will process the entered or imported reference information according to the provided DDS reference numbers and verification numbers.    

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6. To finalize the submission, once reviewing all the information on the document click on “Submit", then "Confirm & Sign”. In the result table, available DDSs with referenced statements are identifiable by the icon below.

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Note

The referencing DDS must be in status DRAFT to allow association of a Referenced Statement in status AVAILABLE or ARCHIVED.

Last Changes section

The DDS feature “Last Changes” will appear in the DDS only after clicking on the “Save” button.        

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As an Economic Operator, you can track the status of your DDS using the "Last Changes" feature located at the bottom left corner of the page. This section provides a detailed overview of the key timestamps and actions taken on the DDS:

  • Created on: Displays the date and time when the DDS was initially created.

  • Submitted on: Shows when the DDS was submitted for review.

  • Amend cutoff date: Indicates the deadline for making any amendments to the DDS.

  • Available from: Reflects the time when the DDS becomes available to be used by the operator for presentation to customs or relevant authorities.

Additionally, the system logs the user who created the DDS, along with the corresponding date and time, ensuring accountability and tracking for compliance purposes. The name of the user who submitted, amended, withdrawn, or cancelled the DDS will also be displayed near the date and time.