CPAS accreditation step by step: requirements and changes from 1 January 2026

Who can join

The scheme is open to all hauliers and coach companies travelling to the UK, including those based outside the UK. It is free to join. Any penalties past their due date must be paid before you apply; an application with unpaid penalties may be refused. A third party can apply on your behalf if you allow Border Force to correspond with them. Drivers cannot yet join the scheme on their own.

The five requirements

1. 1Security devices: enough locks or uniquely numbered seals for each driver, and a working TIR cable or strap for every driver of a soft-sided vehicle.
2. 2Checklists: enough Home Office checklists for each driver, a record of when they were issued, and completed checklists kept for 6 months. E-checklists are accepted if they contain the same checks.
3. 3Written instructions for every driver, including temporary drivers, in their preferred language: how to secure and check the vehicle, how to complete the checklist and what to do if they suspect someone is hiding in the vehicle.
4. 4Training: a dedicated session with a trainer, a knowledge check and records. Simply handing over the instructions is not enough. Refresher training is required every year.
5. 5Monitoring and review: the company collects drivers’ checklists and reviews them within 30 days of the end of the journey to correct errors and omissions.

The application step by step

1. 1Put your procedures and records in order for all five requirements, ideally using several recent journeys.
2. 2Pay any penalties that are past their due date.
3. 3Complete the “Application to join the Civil Penalty Accreditation Scheme” form from GOV.UK.
4. 4Attach: your European Operators Licence, evidence of security devices issued to drivers, evidence of driver training and completed checklists.
5. 5Email the application to BF.CPAS@homeoffice.gov.uk (postal applications are also accepted).
6. 6Wait for the decision. Border Force aims to process a complete application within 12 weeks, but this can take longer.

What accreditation gives you: overview

• Company reduction: 50% from the penalty starting point, both for carrying a clandestine entrant (s.32) and for an inadequately secured vehicle (s.31A). Only for incidents on or after the acceptance date, not retrospectively.
• Driver reduction (from 1 January 2026): 50% for a driver employed by or contracted to an accredited company who had adequate training at the time of the incident (GOV.UK, para 9.12).
• Other Level of Penalty Code reductions: a separate 50% for driver compliance with the Regulations (s.32 only) and for an absent owner or hirer who acted to ensure compliance. In a Code example (unsecured vehicle, s.31A), an accredited operator received a £0 penalty (a 50% reduction for accreditation and a further 50% for demonstrated compliance with the Regulations).
• Duration: membership continues unless Border Force notifies you otherwise.

How accreditation can be lost

• Membership review: Border Force can review a member at any time, for example after 3 or more clandestine entrant detections or 3 or more unsecured-vehicle instances within 12 months. The company then resubmits the application and records.
• Unpaid penalty: an immediate 28-day suspension with no reduction during that time. If the penalty is still not paid, the company is removed from the scheme.
• After removal, a new application can be made after 3 months.

More in the knowledge base: Vehicle security checklist: what the 2002 Regulations and the Code of Practice require and How much is a Border Force penalty? Current rates.