Under Art. 5 as amended by Reg. 2025/2650, downstream operators and traders do not routinely file another DDS for goods already covered upstream. They collect and keep supplier and recipient identity details and, when the direct supplier is an operator, the associated DDS reference number or declaration identifier. Keep that information for at least 5 years.
A TRACES verification number is not part of the Art. 5 record list. plotvera can store it beside the reference for an optional live check. If you need help classifying a flow, use the operators, traders and downstream companies guide. Non-SME downstream operators and traders must also register in the EU Information System under Art. 5(2).
Step 1: set the correct actor route
Open Settings. Under Actor route (Reg. 2025/2650), choose Downstream operator - Art. 5 duties, no routine DDS when you transform an in-scope product already placed on the EU market. Choose Trader - Art. 5 duties, no routine DDS when you make it available without transforming it, then select Save identity.
Classify each flow. The same business can resell some goods, process others and import another product directly. A direct import belongs on the operator route and requires its own due diligence. Use the EUDR checklist to separate those flows.
The route setting simplifies the Shipments board and hides routine screening, assessment and statement filing. It does not change the underlying transaction or send anything to TRACES-NT.
Step 2: choose the right transaction record
Start in Shipments. For a single delivery, open its line, expand Upstream DDS reference and save the upstream reference there. If a shipment contains several physical deliveries or you keep separate customs records, open Consignment records from the shipment and create one record per delivery.
The Consignments page shows Upstream DDS kept and Verified. These are record and optional-check counts, not compliance approvals.
Article 5 requires the supplier identity and the identity of downstream operators or traders you supply. plotvera labels Counterparty (optional) as optional because the form supports other workflows, but your legal record must still contain the required names, postal addresses and email addresses, plus a web address where available.
Step 3: record the delivery and upstream reference
Select New consignment. Enter a Reference that matches a PO, invoice or lot, then set Direction, Commodity and the optional HS / CN code, quantity, unit, counterparty and description.
- Use an inbound record for a supplier delivery and an outbound record for goods supplied to a customer.
- Enter the operator’s DDS reference or applicable declaration identifier in Reference number.
- Enter Verification number only if the supplier provided it and you want plotvera to run the optional check.
The app accepts a reference matching ^[A-Z0-9]{8,14}$, for example 26BE7XTVCZAQ2S. A verification number accepts 5 to 35 letters or digits, for example SFFCB4Y3. Format validation does not prove that the identifier covers these goods.
Select Create consignment. If a required reference is missing, do not release goods on the assumption that an upstream filing exists. Obtain the identifier and evidence linking it to the delivery.
Step 4: read the upstream status correctly
A saved row starts as Reference kept. When mock mode or TRACES credentials make a live check available, the row also shows Verify. The result becomes Verified with TRACES or Could not verify.
- Reference kept means the identifier is stored against this consignment.
- Verified with TRACES means the stored reference and verification number matched when checked. It does not approve the goods or supplier.
- Could not verify requires investigation, but optional verification does not replace the Art. 5 record duty.
Coverage follows the goods, not the supplier account. Link each delivery to its own upstream identifier and retain the supplier message or document that transmitted it. Editing a consignment updates the row; keep correction history in your source records for the full 5-year period.
Step 5: retain the source record and document pack
Open Records to reach Document pack. The page shows the selected actor route. Generated Due Diligence Procedure wording adapts to Art. 5, and the Records Retention Register includes recorded consignments. The page still contains the wider five-document pack, so it is not a consignment-only archive.
Generated documents do not replace invoices, supplier messages or customer records. Keep the Art. 5(3) identities and applicable upstream reference with each transaction for at least 5 years from placing, making available or export, as required by Art. 5(4). Use the record-keeping guide to organise the source archive.
Use the first DDS guide only for flows where you are the operator that must file. Recheck the roles guide whenever the supplier, import route or transformation changes.