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Taxation and Customs Union

Import Control System 2 - Release 2

Important: New information is available regarding the organisation of transition to ICS2 Release 2! Please find the details below (under "When?").

ICS2 Release 2

Who?

Postal operators, express and air carriers and freight forwarders.

When?

The second release becomes effective on 1 March 2023.

Learn more about the ICS2 Release 2 go-live procedure for Economic Operators here.

You can also find further details about the transition from ICS2 Release 1 to Release 2 here.

To make sure that the security and safety of the EU is maintained across the EU external border it is necessary to make an adjustment in the coordinated and gradual approach for deployment of the ICS2 Release 2, described in the "Transition from ICS2 Release 1 to Release 2 strategy". The change affects the air carriers operating direct flights from third countries into Member States which have been granted the derogation to connect to ICS2 Release 2 central system until 30 June 2023 (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Croatia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden). Please find the details below.

Important to read! Please click below to expand and read more

How?

Operators have to complete the ENS dataset for all goods in air transport.

More precisely:
All goods transported by air in postal, express and general cargo consignments will be subject, in addition to pre-loading filing requirements, to complete pre-arrival ENS data requirements.

Further ICS2 project documentation for Release 2 can be consulted here.

Important to note that new data requirements will enter into force on 1 March 2023, with the launch of ICS2 Release 2, as set by the Annex B of the Union Customs Code Implementing Act & Delegating Act. Declarants should pay particular attention to certain new data requirements. Notably, they will have a legal obligation to provide in the ENS particulars:

  • the HS commodity code (6 digit) of the goods of a commercial nature (i.e. B2B and B2C): The Combined Nomenclature
  • the EORI of the consignee established in the EU, if such number was assigned to this party. Parties need to make their EORI number available to the ENS declarant. The EORI number can be validated at the following webservice of the EU Commission, in order to be sure that the data is correct: EOS What's new (europa.eu).

Adequate descriptions of goods in a plain language and precise enough for the customs authorities to be able to identify the goods, is also very important. Please consult the ‘Unacceptable goods descriptions guidance’ available at Import Control System 2 - Release 1 (europa.eu).

It is thus very important that declarants ensure that all required information is obtained from their customers.

The EU customs authorities may reject ENS declarations in the case of lack of complete data or issue risk mitigating referrals in the pre-arrival phase requesting the declarant to provide the necessary data, for example in the case data will not be accurate. This may create delays in processing of the ENS upon the arrival of the consignments and in the entry process, as the risk mitigating referrals must be answered and requested information must be provided before the risk assessment can resume. Customs may also decide to impose administrative sanctions for non-compliance with data requirements.

Get ready

The factsheets are also available in Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Russian, Turkish and Chinese. Please click on "Download" and you'll be directed to our website where you can choose the preferred language (“download and languages”).

Factsheet17 May 2022
Technical preparation - Factsheet

Economic Operators involved in handling, shipping and transporting of cargo, express or postal consignments to or via the EU by air need to take several steps to get their IT systems ready in time.

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Factsheet3 June 2022
New requirements for bringing goods by air to or through the EU - Factsheet

New data reporting requirements for pre-loading and pre-arrival customs risk assessments will apply as of 1 March 2023.

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Factsheet11 December 2022
Pre-arrival data filing requirements - Factsheet

In addition to filing pre-loading advance cargo information (PLACI) about the goods being transported to or via the EU by air, Economic Operators will need to file pre-arrival data in the ICS2 system through a complete electronic Entry Summary Declaration.

 

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