Guides / Create a GMR step by step · Updated 19 October 2026

How to create a GMR on GOV.UK: a step-by-step guide

To get a goods movement reference, the haulier (or a customs agent acting for it) registers for GVMS, collects a declaration reference for every consignment on the vehicle, then creates the GMR online with the vehicle, trailer or container number. Here is what to have ready and the order to do it in.

Who creates a GMR

A goods movement reference is created in the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) by whoever is moving the goods, not by the ferry operator or Eurotunnel. HMRC's GVMS handbook describes the haulage company as the party "responsible for inputting all vehicle and declaration reference numbers into GVMS". Registration is generally done by the haulage firm that physically moves the goods, but a customs agent can register and create GMRs on its behalf. The carrier's job is different: it checks the GMR at check-in and turns away any vehicle that arrives without a valid one.

You need a GMR for movements through border locations that use GVMS. GOV.UK lists Dover, Eurotunnel, Fishguard, Heysham, Holyhead, Liverpool, Pembroke and Newhaven as ports that always use GVMS for roll-on roll-off movements into Great Britain; at many other ports it depends on the carrier, so confirm with yours. You do not need a GMR for goods for your own personal use, or for commercial goods carried in your baggage. If the terms are new to you, the glossary entry for GMR gives the short version.

What you need before you start

Most failed attempts to create a GMR on GOV.UK come down to missing information rather than the service itself. Have the following ready.

A GVMS registration

You cannot get a goods movement reference until you have registered for GVMS. Registration needs an EORI number starting GB (you can apply for one while registering if you do not have one) and sign-in details, which you can also create during the process. Use exactly the same business address you have given HMRC for other services: GOV.UK warns that a different address will delay the application. Once registered, you can add team members and set a level of access for each, which helps if several dispatchers build GMRs.

Declaration references for every consignment

You must enter a reference for all goods in the vehicle, trailer or container. Which reference depends on the direction of travel:

For EU to Great Britain movements, adding safety and security entry summary MRNs is optional. For transit movements, GOV.UK is explicit that you must not include associated import declaration references. If your load travels under transit, our guide to T1 transit between the UK and the EU explains where the NCTS MRN comes from.

Vehicle details

For an accompanied movement you need the vehicle registration number. For an unaccompanied movement you need the trailer number or container reference. These must match what actually turns up: carriers turn vehicles away at check-in when the registration, trailer or container number does not match the GMR.

How to create a GMR: the steps as GOV.UK describes them

GOV.UK does not publish a screen-by-screen walkthrough, but its guidance and the GVMS technical handbook set out the sequence clearly enough:

1. Check the port. Confirm that your crossing goes through a location using GVMS, and whether your carrier requires it.
2. Collect the references. Get the MRN, DUCR, carnet or transit reference for every consignment from the shipper or declarant before the vehicle leaves. For groupage, that means one reference per consignment, all in the same GMR.
3. Sign in. Use the sign-in details from your GVMS registration. Hauliers can use the online service through Government Gateway, or link software they already use to GVMS through HMRC's haulier API.
4. Create the GMR and pick the right option. Most movements use declaration references. An empty trailer moved between the EU and Great Britain still needs a GMR, created with the "empty" option. The "oral or by conduct" option exists for certain goods only; not every port accepts it, and misusing it can delay the journey and lead to a penalty.
5. Enter the vehicle, trailer or container details and every declaration reference.
6. Check the GMR's state before the driver sets off. A GMR marked "open" can still be updated and is ready to be finalised. One marked "not finalisable" needs an update from the haulier before it can be used to check in with a carrier.
7. Send the GMR to the driver. It is presented at the port you are leaving from; ask your carrier how they want it presented. The carrier lets the vehicle embark if the GMR is valid.

For exports through ports where the declaration is submitted as "arrived", the handbook adds a useful check: GVMS validates each DUCR and flags any that are not yet ready, and HMRC advises hauliers not to send the driver to the port until the GMR shows as "open".

Carnets and inland border facilities

If you are moving goods under an ATA, eATA or TIR carnet, the carnet references must be in the GMR before you attend the port or an inland border facility for endorsement, otherwise the movement could be delayed. Paper carnets must travel with the goods, and eATA barcodes must be presented. The same rule applies when an offline transit accompanying document is used because NCTS is down at the office of departure.

After the crossing

Creating the GMR is not the last step. When bringing goods into the UK, the driver should enter the GMR in HMRC's check if you need to report for an inspection service to see whether the goods are held. At Dover and Eurotunnel, held goods go to an inland border facility; at other GVMS locations, to the inspection facility within or near the port. Goods must go there directly and in the same condition as when they were imported. HMRC states that you may be liable to a penalty of up to £2,500 if you do not follow its instructions. We cover statuses and inspection results in more detail in how to check GMR status.

Quick checklist

• GVMS registration in place with a GB EORI and matching HMRC address.
• A reference for every consignment, of the right type for the direction of travel.
• Correct vehicle registration, or trailer or container number.
• The right option chosen: declaration references, empty, or oral or by conduct only where allowed.
• GMR showing as open, not "not finalisable", before the driver leaves.
• Driver knows to check for inspection on arrival in the UK.

If you would rather not run GVMS yourself, or need someone to build GMRs for mixed loads, see step-by-step GMR set-up help from Easy Clearance.

Related guides

• GVMS, ENS and EXS for the France crossing: what each one does

• Movement Reference Number (MRN): what it is and how hauliers use it

• Dover–Calais and Eurotunnel customs: a haulier's checklist

Sources

• Create a goods movement reference (GOV.UK)
• Register for the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GOV.UK)
• Goods vehicle movement reference states (GOV.UK)
• How the system processes the movement of goods (GOV.UK)
• List of ports using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.