Custom reference number register for DDS statements
Under the EUDR, anyone placing timber, coffee, cocoa, soy, rubber, palm oil or beef on the EU market must submit a due diligence statement (DDS), and receives a reference number and a verification number for it from TRACES. Customers further down the chain must take over those numbers, and on import they belong on the customs declaration. Appfront builds a register that records, per shipment, batch or product, which DDS number belongs to it, who it came from, who it was passed on to and in which declaration it was used.
What is a register of DDS reference numbers?
A reference number register records which DDS statement belongs to which goods. Every statement submitted in TRACES receives a reference number and a verification number. That number has to travel with the goods: a customer further down the chain refers to it in their own statement, and on import into the EU it is stated on the customs declaration. The register links the number to the shipment, batch or product, and keeps track of who it was passed on to and where it was used.
Without a register, the number sits in an email from the supplier, in a column of the purchase order or on a delivery note. For a trader who receives and resells hundreds of batches a year, it is then impossible to trace which number belonged to which delivery, whether a number actually covers the goods it is being used for, and which number customs should receive during an inspection. One statement may cover several shipments, but only if they fall within the scope of that statement, and you must be able to demonstrate that.
We build custom because your chain and your systems determine what the register looks like. Whether you submit statements yourself or receive them from suppliers, whether you work per shipment or per batch, which ERP and customs software you use, and how many customers you need to inform all differ. The EUDR applies from 30 December 2026 for large and medium-sized companies and from 30 June 2027 for small and micro enterprises; the register is meant to get you ready in time.
Linked
Number per shipment and batch.
Covered
Scope check.
Passed on
Customer and customs.
How we build your register of DDS reference numbers
We start with your flow of goods: which products fall under the EUDR, whether you submit or receive statements, where the numbers are now and who needs them. Then we build a first version of the register with the link between number and shipment, because that is what customs checks focus on. Your purchasing and logistics teams work with it for a while. Passing numbers on to customers, the integration with ERP and customs software, and the coverage check follow once that runs well. After that, we maintain the register as the rules or your chain change.
Products, numbers, batches.
The first version.
Customers, ERP, customs.
Go-live, monitoring, and maintenance when things change.
What a register of DDS reference numbers actually does
The components below appear in almost every DDS register. Which ones you need depends on your position in the chain and on your systems.
Numbers
Reference and verification per DDS.
Integration
Linked to shipment, batch, product.
Coverage
Is the shipment covered by the DDS?
Passing on
To the customer, with proof.
Customs
Number on the declaration.
Retention
Retrievable per year.
Who we build a register of DDS reference numbers for
The register is meant for companies that fall under the EUDR and handle more than a handful of shipments a year. The more batches and the more customers, the more it delivers.
Importers
Number on the declaration.
Traders
Passing on to customers.
Processors
Raw material to product.
Manufacturers
Retaining your own statements.
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This page is about the register of numbers. For the purchasing side, the origin per supplier and plot, see our page on a supply chain file for deforestation-free sourcing, for the full picture our page on EUDR software, and for connecting your systems our page on middleware. You can read about our approach on building software.
Why Appfront for your register of DDS statement reference numbers?
A customs check where the right number can't be found, a customer asking for a statement that is sitting in a mailbox, or a number used for goods it doesn't cover: each costs a company delays and risk. That is what we build around: every number linked to the right goods, passed on to whoever needs it, and retrievable for as long as required.
Findable
A number for every shipment.
Used correctly
Coverage checked.
Demonstrable
Sharing recorded.
Security and privacy for a register of DDS statement reference numbers
The register contains data about suppliers, goods and statements. Access is set up per role: purchasing records numbers, logistics links them to shipments, and a customer sees only the numbers intended for them. Every transfer is recorded with the time and recipient.
The register runs in a European data centre, with encrypted connections and storage and daily backups. Data is retained for as long as the statutory retention period runs and can be exported per year.
Frequently asked questions about a register of DDS statement reference numbers
Questions that buyers and compliance officers ask before getting started.
The due diligence statement under the EUDR: the statement in which a company declares that a product has not contributed to deforestation and was produced in accordance with the legislation of the country of production. It is submitted in TRACES, where it receives a reference number and a verification number.
Because the number has to travel with the goods: to customers, who refer to it, and to customs on import. With many shipments a year, it becomes impossible to trace which number belongs to which delivery if this isn't recorded systematically.
Yes, as long as those shipments fall within the scope of that statement. The register checks per shipment whether the selected number covers the goods and records where it has been used.
Per shipment or per invoice, by email, via a portal or through an integration with the customer's system. Every transfer is recorded, so you can later show what you gave to whom.
Usually, yes. The number can flow from the register into the purchase order, the delivery note and the customs declaration. We'll look at which systems you use in the first step.
The rules apply from 30 December 2026 for large and medium-sized companies and from 30 June 2027 for small and micro enterprises. Always check the current position with the European Commission and the NVWA (the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority).
Companies with dozens to hundreds of shipments a year under the EUDR, and multiple suppliers and customers. With only a few shipments a year, a well-maintained list is often enough.
Every DDS number linked to the right shipment?
Tell us which products you trade under the EUDR and where the numbers are currently kept. We'll show you how a register can bring order to that.