Terms and Conditions.

1. Parties and Interpretation

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) constitute a binding agreement between you (“the User”, “you”) and TECHPORT TECHNOLOGIES LTD, a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 16868193, whose registered office is at Office 157 Conductor, 8 Westfield Avenue, London E20 1NW, United Kingdom (“Techport”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

These Terms govern your access to and use of the Legacy customs declarations platform (“the Platform” or “the Service”), including all associated functionality for document extraction, declaration assembly, and provenance record-keeping.

By accessing the Platform or creating an account, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms in their entirety. If you do not accept these Terms, you must not access or use the Service.

2. Evaluation Phase Status

The Platform is presently offered on a non-commercial, evaluation-only basis. Access is extended at the sole discretion of Techport to licensed UK customs brokers, compliance auditors, and other qualified trade professionals for the purpose of observing, testing, and validating system performance against real-world document sets.

During the evaluation phase:

• No fees are charged for Platform access or declaration processing
• No service-level commitments or uptime guarantees are provided
• Techport reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Platform without prior notice
• Access may be revoked at any time and for any reason at Techport’s absolute discretion
• The evaluation does not create any entitlement to continued access or future commercial terms

Transition to commercial availability, if and when it occurs, will be governed by separate contractual arrangements negotiated individually with qualifying participants.

3. Service Description and Architecture

The Platform provides a three-layer customs declaration processing system designed to produce consistent, auditable, schema-validated declarations for submission to HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) via the Customs Declaration Service (“CDS”) API. The three layers operate as follows:

• Extraction Layer: Ingestion of trade documents (commercial invoices, bills of lading, packing lists, certificates of origin, and ancillary documentation) with automated decomposition into discrete field values mapped to CDS data elements. Confidence scoring determines which values are applied automatically and which require human review.
• Assembly Layer: Deterministic construction of CDS-compliant XML declarations by applying mandation rules from the category mandation table, enforcing payment code consistency, and validating against WCO DEC-DMS v3.6 schema requirements. Given identical inputs, the assembly layer produces byte-identical output.
• Provenance Layer: Comprehensive audit trail recording the source attribution, confidence score, broker decision, and assembly rule for every data element in every declaration. The provenance record is immutable once sealed and enables retrospective compliance review.

The Platform does not submit declarations autonomously. All submissions require explicit human authorisation following review of the assembled declaration and its provenance record.

4. Jurisdictional Scope

The Platform operates within and serves the regulatory frameworks of both the United Kingdom and the European Union. Declarations processed through the Platform are submitted to HMRC CDS for UK customs purposes. Users may include entities established in EU member states that are required to make UK customs declarations in respect of goods entering or leaving the United Kingdom.

These Terms are governed by English law but acknowledge the dual-jurisdiction nature of the Platform’s user base. Where EU regulations impose obligations that differ from or supplement UK requirements (including but not limited to data protection, electronic commerce, and consumer protection directives), the more protective standard shall apply to affected users.

5. Account Registration and Eligibility

Access to the Platform requires registration and creation of an account. By registering, you represent and warrant that:

• You hold a valid UK customs brokerage licence, operate as a licensed customs intermediary, or are otherwise professionally qualified to prepare and submit customs declarations
• All information provided during registration is accurate, complete, and current
• You have authority to bind the organisation on whose behalf you are registering
• You will maintain the confidentiality of your account credentials and accept responsibility for all activity occurring under your account
• You will notify Techport without delay of any unauthorised access to or use of your account

Techport reserves the right to verify eligibility, request supporting documentation, and refuse or revoke access where eligibility criteria are not satisfied.

6. User Obligations and Responsibilities

Notwithstanding any assistance provided by the Platform, you remain solely and fully responsible for:

• The accuracy, completeness, and lawfulness of all data entered into or processed through the Platform
• The correctness of all customs declarations submitted to HMRC, regardless of whether extraction or assembly functions contributed to their preparation
• Compliance with all applicable customs legislation, including the Customs Act 2018, the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018, and all subordinate regulations
• Reviewing all declarations prior to submission and satisfying yourself as to their accuracy
• Responding to HMRC queries, requests for further information, and compliance interventions
• Maintaining valid EORI registration and any necessary licences or authorisations

The Platform is a decision-support tool. It does not replace professional judgement, and its outputs do not constitute legal, tax, or customs advice.

7. HMRC Integration and Submissions

The Platform connects to HMRC systems via the CDS API to submit customs declarations and receive acceptance or rejection responses. By using the Platform, you authorise Techport to:

• Submit declarations to HMRC using your credentials, authorisations, and EORI number
• Receive, process, and display HMRC responses including MRN allocation, route notifications, and rejection messages
• Store declaration data and HMRC responses as required for record-keeping and provenance purposes

Techport does not guarantee acceptance of any declaration by HMRC. Rejection, query, amendment request, or penalty action by HMRC remains your responsibility to address. Techport bears no liability for HMRC decisions, processing delays, or system outages on the HMRC side.

8. Data Processing Across UK and EU Boundaries

The Platform processes data originating from both UK and EU-established entities. Document sets may contain personal data of EU data subjects (consignors, consignees, representatives). The processing of such data is governed by our Privacy Policy and complies with both UK GDPR (as retained under the Data Protection Act 2018) and EU GDPR (Regulation 2016/679) where applicable.

Cross-border data transfers between the UK and EU are conducted in reliance upon the European Commission’s adequacy decision for the United Kingdom (adopted 28 June 2021, extended 27 June 2025) and, where required, supplementary safeguards including standard contractual clauses.

9. Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its architecture, algorithms, user interface, documentation, and all underlying technology, is the exclusive intellectual property of TECHPORT TECHNOLOGIES LTD and is protected by copyright, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws of the United Kingdom and international treaties. You may not:

• Copy, reproduce, modify, adapt, or create derivative works of any part of the Platform
• Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive source code
• Remove, alter, or obscure any proprietary notices or markings
• Use Techport’s trademarks, trade names, or branding without prior written consent
• Sub-license, transfer, or grant access to any third party without authorisation

You retain all ownership rights in your data. By using the Platform, you grant Techport a limited, non-exclusive licence to process your data solely for the purpose of providing, improving, and maintaining the Service.

10. Service Availability

Techport endeavours to maintain continuous availability of the Platform but provides no guarantee of uninterrupted access, particularly during the evaluation phase. The Service may be unavailable due to:

• Scheduled maintenance, upgrades, or system improvements
• HMRC CDS outages, maintenance windows, or API deprecations
• Infrastructure failures, network disruptions, or hosting provider incidents
• Security incidents requiring immediate remediation
• Force majeure events including but not limited to natural disasters, governmental actions, pandemic measures, or civil unrest

Where practicable, scheduled maintenance will be communicated in advance. Techport shall not be liable for any loss arising from service unavailability.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

• The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement
• Techport shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of business opportunity, or customs penalties
• Techport’s aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the total fees paid by you (if any) in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim
• Techport bears no liability for decisions, actions, or omissions of HMRC, including but not limited to rejection of declarations, imposition of penalties, physical examination of goods, or delays in clearance

Nothing in these Terms purports to exclude or limit liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited by applicable law.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TECHPORT TECHNOLOGIES LTD, its directors, officers, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any and all claims, demands, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• Your use of or access to the Platform
• Inaccurate, incomplete, or unlawful information provided by you or processed at your direction
• Your breach of these Terms or any applicable law or regulation
• Any customs declarations submitted through the Platform on your behalf or at your instruction
• Any claim by a third party arising from your use of the Service

13. Retention Obligations

Under UK customs regulations, including HMRC’s record-keeping requirements for customs declarations, certain data must be retained for prescribed periods. Techport retains:

• Declaration records and provenance data: A minimum of seven years from the date of declaration, in accordance with customs record-keeping obligations
• Supporting documentation: Seven years, or such longer period as may be required by HMRC audit or investigation
• Account data: Duration of the account relationship plus two years following closure
• Technical and security logs: Twelve months for operational purposes; longer where required for regulatory compliance or ongoing investigation

These retention periods apply irrespective of account closure or termination of access and may be extended where required by law, regulation, or regulatory investigation.

14. Termination

During the evaluation phase, either party may discontinue the arrangement at any time without cause or notice. Techport may suspend or terminate your access immediately and without liability if:

• You breach any provision of these Terms
• You use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in connection with fraudulent activity
• Your eligibility to prepare or submit customs declarations ceases or is called into question
• Continued access poses a risk to the security, integrity, or reputation of the Platform
• Techport determines, in its sole discretion, that termination is necessary or appropriate

Upon termination, your right to access the Platform ceases immediately. Data retention obligations under Section 13 survive termination.

15. Modifications to Terms

Techport reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated by posting the revised Terms on this page and updating the “Last updated” date. Where practicable, registered users will be notified of material changes via email.

Continued use of the Platform following publication of amended Terms constitutes acceptance of those amendments. If you do not agree with any modification, you must cease using the Platform and notify us of your intention to close your account.

16. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Subject to mandatory consumer protection provisions that may apply to EU-based users under Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012, any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be severed and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

17. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or notices relating to these Terms: