Customs reference numbers are vital in international trade and are used by customs authorities and traders for a range of purposes that include, but are not limited to:
- Ensuring compliance with trade regulations between different countries and regions
- Contributing toward efficient trading processes
- Protecting national interests
- Managing and regulating the movement of goods across borders
- Ensuring that efficient and correct information is exchanged between customs authorities regarding a consignment
- To track customs payments
Numerous customs references exist; however, this article will focus on and distinguish between two particular ones that are commonly used. These customs references are the Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) and the Movement Reference Number (MRN).
What is a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR)?
A Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) number is a universally recognised code that acts as a tracking identifier assigned by customs authorities to a specific international shipment. This number serves to link and track all associated activities and documentation of a shipment from origin to destination. Typically, a single UCR accompanies a consignment throughout its entire journey, even across multiple borders. The UCR’s primary function is to provide a unique identification for a particular consignment as it moves internationally, maintaining consistency even when crossing numerous borders before reaching its final destination.
The UCR also acts as an access key to information on the consignment. This is for the purpose of auditing, consignment tracking, consolidating information and reconciling payments as the consignment travels to and across borders. It helps to allow for the linking of data from one customs authority to another, and also allows for the effective exchange of information to all parties involved in the movement of a shipment from end to end. This allows customs across different countries to link the import declaration in one country to the export data from another country.
Each country establishes its own structure for a UCR; however, all UCRs will contain information that shows the year in which the consignment was exported, the country where it was exported from, the exporter’s export code that is assigned by the customs authorities, and a unique reference that is a company-generated number (eg. an invoice number or a PO number). In South Africa, a UCR number has the following format: