EUDR Information System Updates: What Businesses Need to Know From the Latest User Guide 

A simple, practical guide to the September 2026 update, DDS, Simplified Declarations, downstream roles and what businesses should prepare.

EUDR Information System Updates introduce important changes to how businesses manage Due Diligence Statements, Simplified Declarations, geolocation data, downstream verification and other compliance activities. The latest User Guide provides clearer, role-based workflows and new functionality as businesses prepare for EUDR application. If you are preparing for EUDR, you may be spending most of your time collecting geolocation, supplier and due-diligence information. But there is another part of the process that is becoming increasingly important: understanding how the EUDR Information System actually works.

The European Commission’s EUDR User Guide was updated on 16 September 2026. The guide explains how businesses can register, create and manage Due Diligence Statements (DDS), submit Simplified Declarations (SD), manage statement records, group their own declarations and verify upstream statements. It also explains how different economic operator roles interact with the system.

For businesses, the key message is simple: EUDR compliance is not just about preparing a DDS. You also need to understand the digital workflow around registration, references, verification, geolocation and downstream traceability.

Key Takeaways

• The User Guide was updated on 16 September 2026.
• The system supports DDS and Simplified Declaration workflows and different EUDR activity types.
• DDS reference numbers and SD identifiers are important downstream and customs data points.
• Geolocation is a core part of the declaration workflow.
• Downstream businesses can verify upstream declarations using the relevant reference and verification information.
• DDS grouping can help manage large geolocation volumes, but the Group Head becomes the legally relevant statement.
• The practical challenge is connecting the Information System with the underlying supply-chain data and evidence.

EUDR Information System Updates : What Changed in the September 2026?

The EUDR Information System is the European Commission’s digital system for managing the EUDR statement lifecycle. The updated User Guide explains that the system supports the creation, submission and management of DDS and Simplified Declarations and is part of the TRACES platform.

Think of it as the place where the formal EUDR declaration is submitted and managed. But the system does not replace the work businesses need to do before submission. Companies still need to collect the underlying supplier, product, production-location, geolocation and due-diligence information needed for their role.

Role-Based Workflows Matter

The guide distinguishes between EUDR Operators, Micro or Small Primary Operators, SME Downstream Operators or Traders, non-SME Downstream Operators or Traders, and Authorised Representatives.

This matters because not every company uses the system in the same way. An upstream operator uses it to submit a DDS. A qualifying Micro or Small Primary Operator uses it for a Simplified Declaration. Downstream businesses have different access and verification functions.

For large businesses that previously used a general Trader activity type, the guide says they need to actively take on the new EUDR Non-SME Downstream Operator or Trader activity type to fulfil the relevant Article 5(2) obligations.

Understand how EUDR obligations change depending on whether you are an upstream operator, downstream operator, trader, or micro/small primary operator and what each role needs to do across due diligence, traceability, DDS references, and record keeping.

Read our complete guide to EUDR Roles and Obligations

DDS Reference Numbers Are Important

Once a DDS is processed and becomes AVAILABLE, the system assigns a unique reference number and verification number. The User Guide explains that the DDS reference number is the number shared with the next actor in the supply chain or entered in the customs declaration.

This creates a practical requirement for companies: the DDS reference cannot be treated as an isolated number sitting in an email or spreadsheet. It needs to remain connected to the relevant supplier, product, shipment or transaction.

For example, if a European importer receives coffee covered by a DDS, the importer should be able to connect the incoming product with the relevant EUDR reference and the underlying supply-chain records.

EUDR reference management is essential for connecting Due Diligence Statements, products, suppliers, shipments and customs declarations. Understand how DDS reference numbers and declaration identifiers should be managed across your supply chain and how to maintain a clear compliance trail.

Read our complete guide to EUDR Reference Management →

Geolocation Is Built Into the DDS Workflow

The updated guide provides specific instructions for entering production locations, including manual entry and GeoJSON import. The DDS workflow also requires product information, quantities and geolocation as part of the relevant declaration data.

This is important because a company cannot treat geolocation as a separate compliance file that is prepared only when the DDS is submitted. Production locations need to be organized so they can be accurately associated with the relevant products and declarations.

In practice, businesses dealing with hundreds or thousands of plots will benefit from having a structured geospatial data layer before they reach the final submission stage.

Simplified Declarations for Micro and Small Primary Operators

The User Guide provides a dedicated workflow for Micro or Small Primary Operators (MSPOs). Instead of using the standard DDS workflow, qualifying MSPOs can create, submit and update a Simplified Declaration.

Once the Simplified Declaration becomes AVAILABLE, the system assigns a unique declaration identifier. The guide states that this identifier is used in the customs declaration or shared with the next actor in the supply chain.

This creates another important data point for downstream traceability. Buyers and downstream businesses need a reliable way to connect the declaration identifier with the products they receive.

Understand how EUDR Simplified Declarations work for micro and small primary operators, including the information they need to provide, how plot locations are captured, and how declarations are submitted through the EUDR Information System.

Read our complete guide to EUDR Simplified Declarations →

Downstream Businesses Can Verify Upstream Declarations

The updated system provides functionality for verifying an upstream DDS or Simplified Declaration. Users need the relevant DDS reference number or SD declaration identifier together with the associated verification number to perform the verification.

For non-SME downstream operators and traders, the guide also describes the ability to consult the contents of an upstream statement when there is a substantiated concern. This means downstream compliance is not simply about receiving a reference number and filing it away.

For a downstream business, a practical process should connect the incoming product, supplier, DDS or SD reference, verification status and internal transaction records.

DDS Grouping Can Help With Large Volumes

Another useful function is the ability for upstream operators, including MSPOs, to group their own DDS or Simplified Declarations into a single Group Head. The guide explains that this can be useful when a large number of geolocations exceeds the 25 MB file-size limit. Up to 1,000 individual DDS or SD can be grouped into one Group Head.

However, this feature needs to be used carefully. The Group Head becomes the statement with legal value, while the individual statements become grouped and are no longer independently available for use or customs presentation. The quantities and products in the Group Head therefore need to be correct.

Managing multiple Due Diligence Statements can become complex, especially when dealing with large volumes of products and geolocations. EUDR DDS grouping allows businesses to combine multiple DDSs into a Group Head, helping simplify compliance management while maintaining the required references and traceability.

Read our complete guide to EUDR DDS Grouping →

What This Means for Businesses

The September 2026 User Guide makes one thing clear: the EUDR Information System is becoming a more structured operational part of EUDR compliance.

Businesses should therefore prepare for more than the final DDS submission.

• Know your EUDR role and the activity type that applies to your business.
• Make sure the company and relevant users are correctly registered.
• Maintain structured supplier, product and production-location data before DDS submission.
• Keep geolocation data in a usable, validated format.
• Connect DDS reference numbers or SD identifiers to relevant products and transactions.
• Have a process for verifying upstream declarations where applicable.
• For high-volume supply chains, understand DDS grouping and its consequences before using it.

Why This Matters Beyond TRACES

The EUDR Information System is where the formal declaration is submitted, but it is not where the entire supply-chain data journey begins. The hard work often happens before the declaration: onboarding suppliers, collecting farm and production information, validating geolocation, checking deforestation risk, gathering legality evidence, linking procurement to lots and preparing the right information for each shipment.

That is why businesses should think of the EUDR Information System as the final digital submission point within a much larger compliance workflow.

How TraceX Can Help

TraceX EUDR Solutions can help businesses prepare for the EUDR Information System by organizing the data that sits behind the DDS or Simplified Declaration. It can connect supplier onboarding, farmer and farm records, plot-level geolocation, satellite-based checks, procurement, lots, batches, shipments and supporting evidence in one traceability workflow.

For upstream operators, this creates a structured path from supplier and production data to DDS preparation. For downstream businesses, it can help connect incoming products with supplier records, DDS references or declaration identifiers and internal transactions.

The goal is simple: when it is time to work with the EUDR Information System, the required information is already structured, connected and easier to retrieve.

Conclusion

The latest EUDR Information System update makes the digital side of EUDR more practical but it also highlights the importance of being organized before submission. Businesses that treat the DDS as the end of the process may still struggle with the data behind it.

A better approach is to build the traceability foundation first: connect suppliers, farms, geolocation, procurement, products, evidence and shipments. Then the EUDR Information System becomes the place where that prepared information is formally submitted and managed.

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