How to File an EUDR Due Diligence Statement in TRACES

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By Prabir Mishra, Founder & CEO, TRST01 · 15 November 2026 · EUDR Guides

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Every relevant product an operator places on the EU market, or exports from it, needs a Due Diligence Statement (DDS) filed in the EU's EUDR Information System, which runs on TRACES. Large and medium operators must do this from 30 December 2026. This guide walks through the filing itself: who files, what to prepare, each section of the form, and what to do with the reference number afterwards.

Who has to file a DDS

Since the 2025 amendment (Regulation (EU) 2025/2650), only operators who first place a relevant product on the EU market, or export it, file a DDS. In practice that means EU importers, EU producers and exporters of covered products.

• Downstream operators and traders no longer file their own statements. They must keep supplier and customer details and the upstream DDS reference numbers for five years. Large (non-SME) downstream operators and traders also register in the Information System.
• Micro and small primary operators producing in a low-risk country can submit a one-off simplified declaration instead of a statement per shipment.
• Micro and small operators have until 30 June 2027, unless they were already covered by the EU Timber Regulation.

If you are an exporter outside the EU (for example in India, Vietnam or Côte d'Ivoire), you usually do not file. Your EU buyer does. Your job is to give them clean, verifiable plot data. Our 30 December checklist covers both sides.

What to prepare before you log in

• An EU Login account for each person who will file. Shared company logins make audit trails harder.
• Your EORI number if you import into or export from the EU. Without it, the import and export options do not appear.
• Product details for each line: HS code at least to the digits listed in Annex I, a description including the trade name, net mass in kilograms (excluding packaging) and any supplementary unit the code requires. For wood, the scientific and common name of each species.
• Country of production and geolocation of every plot that produced the commodity, normally as a GeoJSON file. See our EUDR GeoJSON requirements guide.
• Your completed due diligence: information collected, risk assessed and, where needed, mitigated. Signing the DDS is your declaration that risk is no more than negligible.

Step 1: Register your company

1. Sign in to the EUDR Information System with EU Login.
2. Choose the Operator role, select your country and search for your company.
3. If it already exists, request to join; a colleague with ADMIN rights approves you. If not, click Create a new operator, complete the operator details, addresses and identifiers (add your EORI here), choose EUDR as the chapter and EUDR Operator as the activity, and send the request.
4. Companies established outside the EU also need validation from the Commission's SANTE helpdesk, and need an EU EORI number to file imports.

Tip: the Commission runs a separate acceptance (test) environment. Registering there first lets your team practise without creating real statements.

Step 2: Create the statement

Go to Documents → EU Deforestation → Create. Choose whether you are filing as the operator or on behalf of one (as an authorised representative), and add an optional internal reference without spaces. Drafts can be saved as you go.

Step 3: Activity and operator details

• Activity: Import, Export or Domestic production. This cannot be changed later by amendment, so get it right first.
• Operator details are filled from your registration. Representatives enter the operator's name, address and at least one identifier.
• Place of activity (optional): the Member State where goods are placed on the market and, for imports or exports, where they enter or leave the EU.

Step 4: Commodities and products

Add each product line (a statement can hold up to 200). For each line enter the HS code, description, net mass and supplementary units, then add the production places: one country of production per place, with the plots that supplied it.

Step 5: Upload plot geolocation

You can import a GeoJSON file, type in point coordinates, or draw plots on the map. For anything beyond a handful of plots, import GeoJSON. The system expects WGS 84 coordinates in decimal degrees, longitude before latitude, closed polygons without holes or self-crossings, and an area for every point. The total geolocation per statement is limited to 25 MB.

This is where most filings fail. A single self-intersecting polygon or swapped latitude and longitude can block the whole upload. Run your file through the free EUDR Polygon Validator first: it flags geometry errors, overlaps, plots that should be polygons and protected-area or deforestation risk before you reach TRACES.

Step 6: Submit and sign

Click Submit, then Confirm & Sign. The statement moves to SUBMITTED while the system validates it and applies risk profiling, then to AVAILABLE. A statement that matches a risk profile may be held for checks by the competent authority.

Step 7: Use the reference number

• Once AVAILABLE, the statement gets a reference number and a verification number.
• For imports and exports, put the reference number on the customs declaration. Customs will check that it exists and is valid.
• Pass the reference number to your buyer. Under the amended rules, the first downstream operator must keep it.
• You can tick an option to let downstream operators see your plot geolocation when they reference your statement.

Step 8: Amend or withdraw if you must

You can amend or withdraw a statement for 72 hours after it becomes AVAILABLE, unless it is already locked: for example because the goods have been placed on the market or exported, the number has been sent to customs, it is referenced in another statement, or a check has been announced. After that, only the competent authority can grant a short extension for reasons beyond your control.

Filing at volume

Exporters and importers moving hundreds of shipments a month should not key statements in by hand. The Information System has an API for bulk submission, and statements can be grouped. TRST01's EUDR Hub onboards suppliers, validates polygons and files statements to TRACES in one step, and TRST01Chain builds the plot-to-shipment records behind them for rubber, coffee and soy supply chains. If you want to see it with your own products, book a 30-minute demo.

Quick checklist

• EU Login for each filer, company registered, EORI added
• HS codes, descriptions and net mass ready for every product line
• GeoJSON validated: closed polygons, WGS 84, longitude first, 6 decimals, under 25 MB
• Due diligence complete and documented before you sign
• Reference number on the customs declaration and sent to your buyer
• Records kept for five years

This guide reflects the EUDR as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 and the Commission's 2026 implementing measures, as at 15 November 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Check the official texts linked below before you act.

Official sources

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, consolidated text
• Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, amending the EUDR
• European Commission EUDR implementation page, including the Information System user guides and FAQs