The Union Customs Code (UCC) work programme has 3 main objectives:
- Present projects and electronic systems designed to:
- exchange information in a uniform way, using internally accepted data models and message formats
- re-engineer customs and customs-related processes to make them more efficient and effective and make sure they’re applied consistently, while also reducing compliance costs
- offer a wide range of electronic customs services to economic operators, so they can interact in the same way with the customs authorities in any EU country.
- Set out an extensive plan to implement those systems, ensuring that the code is applied correctly.
- Indicate periods when transitional rules will apply, until new or upgraded systems are deployed.
UCC Work Programme Progress Overview
The graph below presents a timetable for the rollout of the UCC work programme’s electronic systems.
The UCC work programme sets the following deployment dates for trans-European and national systems:
- The start date for electronic systems – this is the earliest date when an electronic system can start operations
- The end date for electronic systems – this means both:
- the latest date by which all EU countries need to be running the systems and all economic operators using them, and
- the date when the validity of the transitional rules ends.
EU countries will produce timetables indicating when their own national systems will be developed and deployed. The Commission will publish this information once it has received it from the EU countries.
The national schedules provided to the Commission are now available in consolidated form.
- 15 MAY 2025
Legal basis
The work programme to develop and deploy the electronic systems laid down in the Union Customs Code was initially drawn up in April 2014.
The initial decision approving the work programme was Implementing Decision 2014/255/EU, subsequently updated by Decision 2016/578/EU.
The amendment of Article 278 of the Union Customs Code resulted in a new decision: Decision 2019/2151/EU.
The current decision is Decision 2023/2879/EU, adopted on 15 December 2023.
The UCC work programme is updated on a regular basis to take into account the latest developments and progress.
UCC digitalisation projects
The Registered Exporter (REX) system will make available up-to-date information on registered exporters established in Generalised Scheme of Preference (GSP) countries exporting goods to the EU. The system is trans-European and includes data about EU businesses that can be used to support exports to GSP countries.
Binding tariff information (BTI) will upgrade the existing trans-European EBTI-3 system and Surveillance 2 system to:
- align the EBTI-3 system with UCC requirements
- extend under-surveillance-required declaration data
- monitor compulsory BTI usage
- monitor and manage BTI extended usage.
The project was implemented in 2 phases:
The first phase (Step 1) puts in place the technical features needed to gradually receive the UCC-required dataset. The dataset runs from 1 March 2017 until the projects listed in points 10 and 14 have been implemented.
Projects listed in point 10 have to have been fully implemented by 1 December 2023.
Projects listed in point 14 have to have fully implemented by 31 December 2022.
Step 2 fulfils the BTI usage control obligation by drawing on the newly required declaration dataset and ensuring alignment with the customs decisions process.
This phase involves making the BTI application and decision available in electronic form. This will provide businesses with a uniform trader interface, which they can use to submit the BTI application and receive the BTI decision electronically.
The Customs Decisions System (CDS) will align the processes involved in:
- applying for a customs decision
- taking decisions on applications
- managing decisions.
This will be achieved through standardisation and electronic management of application and decision/authorisation data across the EU.
Direct trader access to European information systems (uniform user management & digital signature)
This project will provide working solutions for direct trader access to EU systems, in the same way in all EU countries. This would consist of a service that integrates user-to-system interfaces into the electronic customs systems, as referred to in specific UCC projects.
Uniform user management & digital signature (UUM&DS) is available in the systems concerned. It includes support for identification, access and user management, all of which are compliant with the necessary security policies.
The first deployment took place alongside the deployment of the UCC customs decisions system.
This technical authentication and user management solution is additionally available for use in other UCC projects. These include:
- UCC binding tariff information (BTI)
- the UCC authorised economic operators (AEO) upgrade
- UCC proof of Union status (PoUS)
- UCC information sheets (INF) for special procedures.
To find out when these projects will be deployed, see the individual descriptions included in this document.
The Authorised economic operator (AEO) aims to improve the business processes for AEO applications and authorisations, reflecting the changes made to the UCC.
The first phase includes major improvements to the authorised businesses system to harmonise it with the taking of customs decisions.
The second phase will make the AEO application and decision available in electronic form. Businesses will also be able to access a standard EU-wide interface they can use to submit the AEO application and receive the AEO decision electronically.
Economic operator registration and identification (EORI) will provide a minor upgrade of the existing trans-European Economic operator registration and identification (EORI) system. EORI numbers are used to register and identify EU economic operators, economic operators from non-EU countries, and organisations other than economic operators that are active in customs matters in the EU.
This project will upgrade the Surveillance 2+ system to align it with UCC requirements. This includes:
- the standard exchange of information by electronic data-processing techniques
- ensuring the system can be used to process and analyse the full surveillance dataset obtained from EU countries.
Proof of Union Status (PoUS) will set up a new trans-European system to store, manage and retrieve proofs of EU status. This covers T2L/F and the customs goods manifest (issued by a non-authorised issuer).
As the customs goods manifest is to be linked to the European Maritime Single Window, this part of the project will be covered in Phase 2.
New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) aims to align the existing trans-European NCTS system with the new Union Customs Code.
Component 1 — ‘NCTS Phase 5’: this phase aligns the NCTS system with the new UCC requirements. Note that it does not cover safety and security data elements in transit customs declarations of goods brought into the EU customs territory – this is covered in Component 2 (see below).
This component covers:
- the registration of ‘en route’ events
- the alignment of information exchanges with UCC data requirements
- the upgrade and development of interfaces with other systems.
The project may be implemented in 2 steps.
Step 1: Core features of NCTS Phase 5 to ensure the system’s operational continuity. These include:
- the standard transit declaration (core flow)
- a simplified procedure at departure/destination (authorised consignor/consignee)
- amendment/invalidation
- diversion (at office of transit and destination)
- inquiry/recovery processes
- the transfer of business statistics data.
This step could also cover the non-core features listed in Step 2.
Step 2: This covers the remaining system features. These include:
- developing a standard interface with the automated export system
- declarations lodged before goods are presented
- declarations with a reduced dataset
- incidents ‘en route’
- formalities at the office of exit for transit.
Component 2 — ‘NCTS Phase 6’: this phase will implement specific new requirements for safety and security data elements in transit customs declarations of goods brought into the EU customs territory resulting from project 17 (UCC ICS2). It covers the development of the interface with ICS2, which will make it easier to lodge a transit declaration containing the particulars of the entry summary declaration by applying Article 130(1) UCC.
The Automated Export System (AES) implements the UCC requirements for export and exit.
Component 1 – Trans-European automated export system
This project will further develop the existing trans-European export control system in order to implement a fully Automated Export System. This would cover the business requirements for processes and data resulting from the UCC. Component 1 may be implemented in three steps.
Step 1: Core features for an automated export system. This would enable full automation of export procedures and exit formalities. The AES covers parts developed centrally and nationally, including the national components in which the export declaration is lodged and processed. This will enable the subsequent exchange of information with the customs office of exit via the automated export system’s common components. This step also includes features on exit formalities, which are needed to release the goods for exit.
Step 2: Development of a harmonised interface with the excise movement & control system (EMCS).
Step 3: This step covers other features such as:
- simplified and supplementary declarations
- developing a harmonised interface with the new computerised transit system
- centralised clearance
- declarations lodged before goods are presented.
Component 2 – National export systems upgrade
In a process outside the scope of the automated export system but closely linked to it, separate national systems had to be upgraded for specific national elements related to export and/or exit formalities. Where these elements did not affect the common domain for AES, they could be covered under this component.
Information sheets (INF) for special procedures develops a new trans-European system to support and streamline INF data management and the electronic handling of INF data in connection with special procedures.
This project aims to accelerate, facilitate and align special procedures across the EU by providing common business process models. National systems will implement all UCC changes required for customs warehousing, end use, temporary admission and inward and outward processing.
This project may be implemented in 2 parts.
Component 1 – National SP EXP: national electronic solutions for export-related special procedures activities.
Component 2 – National SP IMP: national electronic solutions for import-related special procedures activities.
The implementation of these projects occurred through the projects listed in points 10 and 14.
This project lays down the processes for:
- notification of arrival of the means of transport
- presentation of the goods (presentation notification)
- declaration for temporary storage as described in the UCC.
This will help standardise data exchange between EU countries’ trade and customs authorities.
The project covers the automation of processes at national level.
This project implements all process and data requirements deriving from the UCC which relate to imports (and which are not covered by one of the other projects included in the work programme). The project mainly covers changes to the release for free circulation procedure (standard procedure + simplifications), plus the impact from other system migrations. The focus is on national imports, covering national customs declarations processing systems and other systems such as national accountancy and payment systems.
Centralised clearance for import (CCI) aims to make it possible to use centralised clearance for placing goods under a customs procedure. This will enable businesses to centralise their business from a customs viewpoint.
The processing of the customs declaration and the physical release of the goods should be coordinated between the related customs offices. It concerns The project’s focus is to provide a trans-European system containing components developed centrally and nationally.
The project is implemented in 2 phases:
Phase 1: This phase combined centralised clearance with standard customs declarations. It may also cover centralised clearance with simplified customs declarations and the respective general or periodic supplementary declarations (regularising one simplified customs declaration). It also includes the placing of goods under the following customs procedures:
- release for free circulation
- customs warehousing
- inward processing
- end use.
This phase covers all types of goods except for:
- excise goods
- EU goods in the context of trade with special fiscal territories
- goods that come under common agricultural policy measures.
Phase 2: This phase is designed to implement all technical features that fall within the full scope of centralised clearance for import:
- simplified and supplementary declarations (if not implemented under Phase 1)
- customs declarations through an entry in the declarant’s records and the recapitulative supplementary declarations (regularising more than one simplified customs declaration or more than one entry in the declarant’s records)
- the placing of goods under the temporary admission procedure
- excise goods
- EU goods in the context of trade with special fiscal territories
- goods that come under common agricultural policy measures.
The Guarantee Management (GUM) system aims to ensure that the different types of guarantees are managed effectively and efficiently.
Component 1 – GUM: The central component of this trans-European system covers the management of the comprehensive guarantees that may be used in more than one EU country. This is currently being implemented in the UCC customs decisions system and interface, with a national component (see Component 2) for monitoring the reference amount. This reference amount may relate to:
- each customs declaration
- a supplementary declaration; or
- other appropriate information about the particulars needed to monitor the reference amounts of the comprehensive guarantees for temporary storage and all customs procedures as provided for in the Union Customs Code. This does not include transit, which is handled as part of the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) project.
Component 2 – National guarantee management: This component will be implemented through a national electronic system. Here, comprehensive guarantees valid in more than one EU country will be registered and managed and their reference amounts monitored.
The component will also be used for other guarantees. It will connect with the national customs declaration systems whenever guarantees are invoked in the customs declaration. In the case of comprehensive guarantees, the component should retrieve the relevant business data from the respective authorisation to provide a comprehensive guarantee.
Import Control System 2 (ICS2) aims to strengthen the pre-arrival safety and security of goods entering the EU. This will be achieved by implementing the new UCC requirements on the lodging and treatment of entry summary declarations (ENS). The UCC requirements in question are:
- the provision of ENS data in more than one submission and/or by different persons; and
- the exchange of that data and the risk analysis result among the customs authorities.
ICS2 leads to a completely new architecture and the gradual replacement of the existing trans-European ICS system.
The programme is to be implemented in 3 releases.
Release 1: This covers the obligation of certain businesses (postal operators and express carriers in air transport) to provide the minimum data, i.e. the ENS pre-loading dataset.
Release 2: implementation of complete new ENS obligations and related business and risk management processes for all goods in air traffic.
Release 3: implementation of complete new ENS obligations and related business and risk management processes for all goods in maritime and inland waterways and road and rail traffic. This includes goods in postal consignments transported by these modes of transport.
The roll-out of Release 3 is planned as follows: first maritime and inland waterways carriers (Step 1), then house-level filers in the maritime and inland waterways traffic (Step 2), and lastly road and rail carriers (Step 3).