EUDR Due Diligence by Shipment Lot

An EUDR due diligence system is not a single policy document. For importers sourcing from Vietnam, it is a repeatable workflow that ties evidence to each shipment lot before you file a due diligence statement.

In this article, a production plot is the land where coffee or rubber is grown; a shipment lot is one export shipment (often one container) those plots feed into.

Step 1: Collect information by shipment lot

Collect what you will later use to justify the statement:

• product details and one consistent product code set,
• production plots that contribute to the shipment lot,
• plot location data (point or polygon, as required by plot size),
• how evidence moves from source actors to the shipment,
• legality evidence under Vietnamese law where needed.

Step 2: Assess data risk — not only country risk

Vietnam is listed as low risk. That simplifies risk assessment and mitigation. It does not remove plot location or legality requirements.

Check whether:

• plot data actually links to this shipment lot,
• the same plot appears to be claimed across overlapping buyer files,
• certificates (if any) have been verified again — not trusted one-way.

Sector certificates are useful context. They are not a substitute for shipment-lot-specific plot and chain evidence in the EU declaration workflow.

Step 3: Close gaps where they matter

If assessment shows gaps, close them:

• missing or wrong coordinates,
• missing land or legality documents,
• broken links through middlemen,
• suspected plot overlap between operators.

Prefer reuse of verified data first. Collect new field data only where the shipment lot still cannot be supported.

Documents to keep

Build a file you can retrieve when authorities ask:

• supplier and plot files tied to the shipment lot,
• legality evidence and supporting notes,
• risk rationale and what was checked,
• proof of gap-fill actions (or why none were needed),
• retention for at least five years.

Where the Desk helps

The Desk packages Vietnam-side evidence by shipment lot: completeness checks, overlap flags when needed, and a handoff pack your team can use in the declaration workflow. The EU operator remains the statement owner.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR) consolidated text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A02023R1115-20241226
  • Articles 3–4: market conditions and operator obligations
  • Articles 8–9: due diligence system and information requirements (including plot location)
  • Article 13: simplified approach for low-risk countries (plot location and legality still required)