Due Diligence Statement
Also known as: DDS
The filing by which the first-placing operator formally declares that due diligence was carried out and that risk is negligible — required at every country risk tier.
What it means
The Due Diligence Statement (DDS) is not a receipt. Submitting it is a formal declaration that diligence was carried out and that risk of non-compliance is negligible. It returns a reference number that downstream actors retain.
In the regulation
After Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, the statement is filed once by the operator first placing (or exporting) the goods, through the Information System. The duty to file remains at low, standard and high risk alike.
How ERWAY treats it
ERWAY’s submit-DDS path assembles plot, supplier and assessment evidence into a filing-ready pack for that system — as in the DDS lifecycle article on this site.
Related terms
- Filing & enforcement
Information System
The EU Information System where operators submit Due Diligence Statements and receive reference numbers — commonly referred to in practice as TRACES NT.
- Roles & obligations
Operator
The person who first places a relevant product on the EU market, or exports it — and who files the Due Diligence Statement for that placing.
- Risk & benchmarkingNegligible risk
Negligible risk
Assessment outcome for a specific product and supply chain: risk of non-compliance is no more than negligible. Distinct from a country “low risk” label.
- Roles & obligations
Downstream operator
Places on the market a product already covered by upstream diligence — retains the reference number, registers if not an SME, and must act if aware of a substantiated concern.
Keep reading
Filing & enforcementThe Due Diligence Statement and the EU Information System, end to end
What goes into an EUDR due diligence statement, how it reaches the EU Information System, what the reference number is for, and what the 2026 rebuild changed.
6 min read
Roles & obligationsOperator, downstream operator, trader: who files what
How EUDR roles work after Regulation (EU) 2025/2650: who submits a due diligence statement, who retains reference numbers, and who registers without filing.
6 min read