H1 System: The Future of European Imports After the End of DUA in October 2025
Customs authorities must also adapt to the new realities of foreign trade. After more than three decades of service, the Single Administrative Document (DUA) comes to an end. Starting in October, it will be replaced by the H1 system, a data exchange platform that promises greater traceability, efficiency, and security in import operations.
Posted on
09.12.2025
What is the H1 system and why does it replace DUA?
The H1 system is the new electronic model for import declarations in the European Union, designed to replace the traditional Single Administrative Document (DUA). Unlike the latter, which functioned as a fixed form with predetermined fields, H1 operates through the exchange of electronic messages structured in XML format (a programming language for structuring and presenting data in a formatted text format).
This approach allows working with reusable data, automatically validated and organized at different levels—header, shipment, and item—which facilitates automation and customs control throughout the entire logistics chain.
Additionally, the H1 system introduces new types of declarations such as DAC (definitive), DPA (prior), SAC (simplified), or SPA (simplified prior), among others. It also requires declaring documents and authorizations in specific fields that are automatically validated against databases such as TARIC (Integrated Tariff of the European Community codes) or EORI.
This represents greater technical requirements for operators, but also provides significant benefits in terms of traceability, security, and efficiency. "The H1 system requires greater technical training in the use of web services, document coding, automatic validations, and authorization management," explains to PierNext Esther Sánchez, spokesperson on customs legislation matters for the College of Customs Agents of Barcelona (COACAB).
- With its progressive implementation, the H1 system is emerging as a key pillar of customs digitalization in Europe. Therefore, it's worth examining in detail what exactly the new scenario that the H1 system will create brings.
The H1 in detail
The new system has forced all actors to adapt their way of working to the new environment. For example, from the perspective of customs agents, they will need to focus on the following aspects:
- New types of declarations: the aforementioned DAC (definitive), DPA (prior), SAC (simplified), SPA (simplified prior), among others. They respond to different types of import operations, according to their degree of anticipation.
- Incomplete Pre-declaration (PDI): a new digital mechanism that allows registering an import operation in advance before the goods arrive at the European Union customs territory. It also allows obtaining the MRN (Movement Reference Number) in advance.
- Integration with the CCI system (Customs Clearance Integration): which allows a company established in a Member State to submit an import or export declaration in that country, even if the goods are physically located in another Member State. This provides greater flexibility, efficiency, and administrative centralization for operators acting at different points in Europe.
- Single Customs Window: simplifies the management of non-customs certificates such as health, phytosanitary, or quality certificates, centralizing their processing to make it more agile.
The customs representative will cease to be a mere data transmitter to become a digital process manager, with competencies increasingly closer to data analytics and operational consulting.
A more connected logistics chain
The H1 system also transforms how logistics operators, freight forwarders, and importers interact with customs administration. Companies will need to provide better structured data and assume new responsibilities in the design and validation of their documentary processes.
Among the main changes are:
- Advance planning: the aforementioned PDI implies greater coordination between all actors: operators and customs agents.
- Integrated certificate management: the Single Window facilitates procedures with other organizations, provided that certificates are ready, valid, and digitized.
- Complementary declarations: operations carried out under declarant registration (I2) must be completed within fixed deadlines, with risk of penalty in case of non-compliance.
Therefore, from the perspective of importers and other logistics agents, and as Sánchez points out from the College of Customs Agents of Barcelona, "this more automated and electronically validated environment improves traceability and control, but also requires more rigorous planning by operators and close collaboration with their customs representatives."
Another advantage of the H1 system is that it will improve competition in a highly regulated environment such as customs traffic. Also, by streamlining procedures for operators, it enables them to have greater margin to improve their services and ultimately impact customer satisfaction.
Benefits of the H1 system vs. DUA
For those less expert in the matter, technical aspects may obscure some evident benefits of the customs system change. So it's worth making a recap.
The most evident is that H1 seeks to align European foreign trade with the most demanding international standards in terms of interoperability, risk control, and documentary traceability.
- Reduction of human errors
The H1 system introduces many automatic procedure validations, thus avoiding human errors and reducing processing times for many procedures. In this sense of gaining fluidity, with the new scenario, the disappearance of duplicate documents and redundant data is sought. Additionally, customs transit can be significantly expedited if documentation is correctly issued and validated.
- Complete integration
The new system will also require greater integration between the computer systems of different agents and operators in the sector. For example, according to Esther Sánchez, "integration with European systems facilitates centralized clearance and interoperability between Member States, these improvements translate into more agile, secure processes with greater traceability."
- Greater security
There will also be important improvements in operation security with the implementation of the H1 system. The COACAB spokesperson has also detailed these points, noting that "each declaration will have greater traceability, which will allow following the entire operation cycle."
Likewise, Sánchez relates other improvements for operation security and reliability, such as control over special regimes and simplified procedures becoming stricter, "ensuring they are only applied when conditions are met."
A detailed example highlighted by Sánchez is the integration of all information handled with the Integrated Tariff of the European Community (TARIC) codes—a database for classifying goods and thus determining applicable customs duties, taxes, and commercial policy measures. This achieves greater regulatory coherence and a more secure, transparent environment aligned with European standards.
The model left behind: the legacy of DUA
DUA has been in force for almost forty years. It was created in 1988 as a tool to harmonize customs declarations in the then European Economic Community. Its implementation represented an important advance in administrative simplification, replacing multiple national forms with a single common document.
In Spain, "DUA evolved toward telematic presentation in the 90s, and COACAB was a pioneer in this field," recalls Esther Sánchez.
In this historical review, Sánchez also remembers that "on June 14, 1994, the first electronic sending of a DUA to Barcelona Customs was made via Internet, thanks to the SSI (Computerized Service Society) project promoted by the College. This milestone positioned Barcelona as a reference in customs innovation."
Despite these first steps on the Web, the COACAB spokesperson recalls that "DUA was conceived for a documentary environment, not digital. Its fixed fields, closed structure, and paper-based design make adaptation difficult to an environment where automation, interoperability, and data traceability prevail."
- The entry into force of the new CAU on May 1, 2016, and the progressive implementation of systems like AES (Automated Export System) and NCTS (New Computerised Transit System) highlighted that DUA was becoming outdated for an environment as demanding as international trade.
So this new H1 model covers EU demands in this matter that were included in the EUCDM (European Union Customs Data Model) standard, which structures information into reusable data elements, automatically validated and shareable between administrations.
Impact of H1 on strategic ports
With the new H1 system, the Port of Barcelona, as a strategic node in European foreign trade, has a key role in this evolution. Its logistics ecosystem is especially well positioned to lead the implementation of this new scenario thanks to its culture of innovation, its experience in digital integration, and its capacity to connect actors throughout the entire value chain.
- The H1 system is not a simple format change: it's a step toward a more modern, automated, and interconnected European customs system. Its success will depend on the collective capacity to adapt, collaborate, and leverage available technological tools.
In a world where commercial flows are increasingly dynamic, uncertain, and regulated, having an efficient, secure, and transparent customs system is essential. The farewell to DUA marks the beginning of a new stage in European Union customs governance.
