FAQ¶
Common questions and regulatory definitions relevant to the EUDR SOAP API.
General¶
What is a Due Diligence Statement (DDS)?¶
A Due Diligence Statement is submitted by an Information System user pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2023/1115. It documents the three-step due diligence process: information gathering, risk assessment, and risk mitigation. Operators must submit a DDS prior to placing relevant products on the market or exporting them.
What is a Simplified Declaration (SD)?¶
A simplified declaration is a one-time submission in the Information System by micro or small primary operators, containing the information set out in Annex III, submitted before placing relevant products on the market or exporting them. It replaces the per-shipment due diligence statement for eligible operators. The declaration remains valid indefinitely unless major changes occur.
What are relevant commodities?¶
Relevant commodities are: cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood.
What are relevant products?¶
Relevant products are products listed in Annex I that contain, have been fed with or have been made using relevant commodities.
What does "deforestation-free" mean?¶
Deforestation-free means: (a) commodities produced on land not deforested after 31 December 2020; (b) for wood, harvested without inducing forest degradation after 31 December 2020.
Operators and Roles¶
What is an operator?¶
An operator is any natural or legal person who, in the course of a commercial activity, places relevant products on the market or exports them, excluding downstream operators.
What is a micro or small primary operator?¶
A micro or small primary operator is an operator who is a natural person or micro/small undertaking, irrespective of legal form, established in a low-risk country, who places on market or exports relevant products they themselves produced in that country.
What is an authorised representative?¶
An authorised representative is any natural or legal person established in the Union who has received a written mandate from an operator to act on its behalf in relation to specified tasks with regard to the operator's obligations under the Regulation.
What is a downstream operator?¶
A downstream operator is any natural or legal person who, in the course of a commercial activity, places on the market or exports relevant products made using relevant products, all of which are covered by a due diligence statement or by a simplified declaration.
What is the collect-and-keep obligation?¶
The collect-and-keep obligation is the core obligation for downstream operators and traders: to collect and keep supplier information, DDS reference numbers or declaration identifiers (from operator suppliers only), and buyer information, for at least five years. It replaces the DDS submission obligation for these actors.
Lifecycle and Status¶
What is GROUPED status?¶
GROUPED status is a lifecycle state assigned to a DDS or SD when it has been associated to a grouped declaration. A GROUPED declaration cannot be individually withdrawn or amended while the referencing grouped declaration is active.
What is grouping?¶
Grouping is the voluntary act by an Information System user of creating a new DDS or SD that references previously submitted declarations via their reference numbers. The resulting grouped declaration receives a standard reference number, inherits geolocation data from referenced declarations, and represents all referenced declarations for compliance purposes. Referenced declarations receive GROUPED status.
Geolocation¶
What is geolocation in EUDR context?¶
Geolocation means latitude/longitude coordinates with a minimum of 6 decimal digits. Polygons are required for plots of land greater than 4 hectares (except for cattle, where point coordinates for the establishment suffice).
What is a plot of land?¶
A plot of land is land within a single real-estate property with homogeneous conditions for risk evaluation.
Can SD use postal address instead of geolocation?¶
Yes. Unlike DDS (which requires GeoJSON geolocation), the Simplified Declaration allows micro or small primary operators to provide postal address(es) as an alternative to GeoJSON geometry.
Risk and Compliance¶
What is risk profiling?¶
Risk profiling is the identification of the risks of non-compliance of a relevant product, based on risk criteria, for the purpose of assigning to each DDS a risk status. It is performed automatically by the Information System.
What is a low-risk country?¶
A low-risk country is a country or part thereof classified by the Commission as presenting low risk of producing commodities or products not in compliance with Article 3. It enables micro or small primary operator status for eligible producers and a reduced minimum check rate of 1%.
System and Integration¶
What is the Information System?¶
The Information System is the system established and maintained by the Commission pursuant to Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115.
What is a reference number?¶
A reference number is the unique reference number assigned by the Information System to a Due Diligence Statement or Simplified Declaration submitted by the user.
What is a verification number?¶
A verification number is a security number assigned by the Information System to the DDS/SD to ensure additional security of data.
What is a declaration identifier?¶
A declaration identifier is the unique identifier assigned by the Information System to a micro or small primary operator upon submission of a simplified declaration. It accompanies relevant products through the supply chain in place of a DDS reference number and must be made available to customs authorities before release for free circulation or export.
What is a contingency reference number?¶
A contingency reference number is a fallback reference number generated by a competent authority or customs authority during periods when the Information System is unavailable for more than 60 minutes. It must be replaced by a system-generated reference number once the system is restored.