DDS Automation for EU Importers: Filing, Best Practices and Compliance Workflows

DDS automation for EU importers connects the various activities of preparing a DDS into a repeatable workflow. It can help teams collect and validate data, identify gaps, assemble the information needed for a statement, submit through the EU Information System where supported, and retain the resulting reference details. Automation supports the due diligence process; it does not replace the importer’s responsibility to assess the evidence and make the required decisions.

For EU importers, preparing a Due Diligence Statement (DDS) under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is not simply a form-filling exercise. It depends on having accurate product details, production locations, supplier records and documented due diligence decisions available before the relevant products are placed on the EU market or exported. When these records sit across spreadsheets, emails, supplier portals and ERP systems, preparing a DDS can become slow and error-prone.

Key Takeaways

• A DDS must be supported by the applicable due diligence process: information gathering, risk assessment and risk mitigation.
• Product classification, quantity, country of production, supplier details and plot-level geolocation must be accurate and connected to the relevant products.
• Automated validation can flag missing fields, inconsistent quantities, invalid geospatial files and incomplete supplier records before submission.
• TRACES is the EU Information System used for DDS submission; automation options depend on supported integrations and user permissions.
• Keep the DDS reference and verification details linked to the relevant records, and maintain the supporting evidence and audit trail.
• A software workflow can reduce manual work, but it cannot guarantee compliance or replace human review.

What Is a Due Diligence Statement Under EUDR?

A Due Diligence Statement is the electronic statement submitted by an operator or authorised representative through the EU Deforestation Regulation Information System before placing relevant products on the Union market or exporting them. The statement is connected to a due diligence process involving information gathering, risk assessment and, where needed, risk mitigation. Following submission, the Information System assigns a reference number and a verification number.

The statement is not a substitute for the work behind it. Importers need to establish that relevant products are within scope, gather the information required by the Regulation, evaluate the risk of non-compliance and take appropriate mitigation measures where risks are identified. Certifications or supplier assurances may contribute evidence, but should not automatically be treated as a replacement for the required assessment.

Struggling with EUDR due diligence? Learn how to collect supplier data, verify plot-level geolocation, assess deforestation risks, and prepare accurate Due Diligence Statements (DDS). Read our guide to simplify EUDR compliance and strengthen your supply chain readiness.

Why DDS Filing Becomes Difficult for EU Importers

Supplier data is fragmented

Farm, cooperative, processor and exporter information may arrive in different formats. Missing identifiers make it difficult to connect a shipment to the relevant production locations.

Product and customs data do not match

HS/CN classification, product descriptions, quantities and country-of-production details may differ between procurement systems, invoices and customs records. These inconsistencies should be resolved before submission.

Geolocation needs careful validation

Coordinates or polygons can be missing, malformed, duplicated or linked to the wrong supplier or product. For mixed-origin batches, the sourcing information needs to preserve the relevant plot relationships.

Risk assessment is hard to evidence

A conclusion should be traceable to the information reviewed, the risks considered and any mitigation undertaken not simply a tick box in a spreadsheet.

Manual TRACES entry does not scale easily

Re-entering information from internal systems increases workload and creates opportunities for transcription errors, especially when an importer handles many suppliers and product lines.

How DDS Automation for Importers Works: A Practical Workflow

1. Confirm product scope and roles

Map relevant products to the applicable EUDR product scope and clarify the role of each business entity in the transaction. Do not assume a product is in scope or out of scope based on a broad commodity name alone.

2. Collect and standardise supplier information

Use structured onboarding to collect supplier identity, production-country details, supporting documents and relevant product information. Apply consistent supplier, plot, batch and shipment identifiers so records can be linked.

3. Validate geolocation and supporting evidence

Check that submitted geospatial data uses an accepted format, contains valid geometry and is associated with the right production locations. Maintain supporting evidence for deforestation-free and legal-production assessments.

4. Assess risk and record mitigation

Document the assessment against the applicable EUDR criteria. If risk is identified, record the additional information or measures considered and the basis for the final conclusion. The system should preserve the evidence behind the decision.

5. Assemble and validate the DDS

Populate the statement from verified source records rather than retyping data. Pre-submission checks can flag missing fields, mismatched quantities, invalid codes or unresolved geolocation issues for review.

6. Submit and track the result

Submit through the EU Information System, either through its supported interface or a validated integration where available and authorised. Capture the returned reference and verification details, and monitor the submission status.

7. Link and retain the records

Associate the DDS identifiers with the relevant products, transactions and shipment records. Retain the underlying information and decision trail so teams can retrieve it when needed.

Learn which records to maintain, how long to retain them, and how to keep supplier data and due diligence evidence audit-ready. Read our guide to EUDR record keeping and simplify your compliance process.

EUDR DDS Best Practices for Importers

The most effective DDS workflows start before shipment preparation. Build data collection into supplier onboarding and procurement instead of waiting until a container is ready to leave. Standardise supplier questionnaires, define mandatory fields, assign owners to resolve data gaps and establish clear review checkpoints.

• Treat certifications as supporting evidence, not an automatic substitute for due diligence.
• Use consistent identifiers to connect supplier, plot, product, batch, purchase order and shipment records.
• Validate geospatial files and product quantities before generating the statement.
• Keep a record of risk assessment findings, mitigation steps, approvals and data corrections.
• Plan for exceptions: rejected or incomplete data should return to a named owner with a clear resolution status.
• Test the full workflow on representative transactions before scaling it across all relevant suppliers and products.

Record retention and amendment procedures should follow the current Regulation and Information System guidance. Avoid hard-coding legal assumptions into software workflows without a process to review regulatory and system updates.

What to Look for in DDS Automation Software

When evaluating a platform, EU importers should ask vendors to demonstrate the actual workflow using representative supplier and shipment data not only a feature checklist. Key evaluation points include:

• Supplier onboarding and structured data collection across multiple tiers.
• Geolocation upload, format validation and links between plots and relevant products.
• Product and shipment traceability, including quantity reconciliation and record retrieval.
• Documented risk assessment, mitigation tracking and a clear audit trail.
• Integration with ERP, procurement or traceability systems to reduce duplicate entry.
• Supported EU Information System submission options, status handling and reference-number capture.
• Role-based access, exception handling, data export and support for regulatory updates.

Discover the key features to evaluate, from supplier onboarding and plot-level geolocation to risk assessment, traceability and DDS management. Read our EUDR Software Buyers Guide to compare your options and find the right solution for your compliance needs.

How TraceX Can Support DDS Automation

TraceX’s EUDR solution is positioned around connecting supplier and plot information, traceability records, risk assessment and DDS workflows. For EU importers, the practical evaluation should focus on how the platform handles the organisation’s specific data sources, validates supplier and geolocation information, connects records to products and shipments, and supports the relevant submission process.

A useful product demonstration should walk through one representative shipment from supplier onboarding to plot data validation, risk review, DDS preparation, submission status and reference capture. Ask how exceptions are resolved, what integrations are supported in your environment, and which steps require user approval. Software should make the process more organised and repeatable not imply that a generated statement alone guarantees compliance.

Want to assess your current DDS workflow

Explore how supplier data, geolocation, risk records and shipment information could be connected in your EUDR process.

Conclusion: Make DDS Filing a Repeatable Process

For EU importers, DDS automation is most valuable when it connects the work that happens before submission: supplier onboarding, product classification, geolocation validation, evidence collection, risk assessment and shipment traceability. A structured workflow helps teams identify gaps earlier, reduce repetitive entry and retrieve the records behind a declaration. Choose a platform that fits your real systems and processes, and keep human review and regulatory accountability at the centre.

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