Proof of Union Status system (PoUS)

* After the go-live of PoUS application on 01^st March 2024, a new release is expected in August that will implement the fixes to a few issues discovered in production so far. Both applications - PoUS STP (for traders) and PoUS BO (for customs officers) - will then be updated. 

* The most updated list of the national service desks (NSD) for PoUS STP is now available. The list provides the contact information (email, phone number) and the Business days and hours for each Member State. Traders are invited to contact the national service desk for any support. 

Goods transiting within the customs territory of the EU are assigned a customs status: Union or non-Union goods. 

Union goods are either wholly obtained in the customs territory of the Union, are imported and released for free circulation, or are wholly obtained or produced using the first two kinds of goods. All goods that do not meet these requirements or have lost their Union Status are to be considered non-Union goods (Union Customs Code, Article 5.23-24). 

In addition, Union goods may lose their status when they are temporarily taken out of the customs territory of the Union, except for specific cases (UCC Art. 154 and UCC Delegated Act Art. 119.2). 

To prove Union status for goods in free circulation which have been brought from one point to another within the customs territory of the Union and temporarily leave that territory, two means are used: T2L or T2LF data and the Customs Goods Manifest (CGM) (UCC Implementing Act Art. 199.5). 

The main objective of PoUS is to replace the paper procedure of T2L/T2LF and shipping companies’ manifests used to prove Union status of goods with an electronic system. The system will make T2L/T2LF and Customs Goods Manifest (CGM) data available to use when goods with Union status are moved between EU countries while leaving the EU customs territory temporarily. 

PoUS is a centralised system developed by the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD). However, EU countries have the possibility to develop their own national systems (like Poland and Spain). 

National systems are connected to the repository of the central system. This hybrid solution allows all users to access PoUS for national Customs online services. The connection to the central PoUS ensures that all national proof data are also available centrally to all other EU countries. 

The central PoUS has two main components: 

• The PoUS Specific Trader Portal (PoUS-STP) - accessible through the EU Customs Trader Portal (EUCTP) 
• The PoUS customs application Back Office (PoUS-BO) combined with the Central Repository (CR)

Economic Operators, their customs representatives and their employees (referred to as Traders) should access the PoUS Specific Trader Portal (STP) via the EU Customs Trader Portal (EUCTP). 

Access to EUCTP is managed through the Uniform User Management and Digital Signature System (UUM&DS) - an identity and access management platform to secure authorised access to EU Customs electronic systems. Traders requesting proof in Spain and Poland will access the specific national portal (or use other means provided by that EU country). 

Traders will need a valid Economic Operator Identification and Registration (EORI) number and appropriate roles assigned in UUMDS to access the system. Once authenticated in the EUCTP, a Trader can manage their own requests for proof in the PoUS STP module and interact with the system and customs authorities via notifications. 

Customs officers can use the PoUS BO to handle requests for proof and presentation notifications. 

1. The Trader accesses the PoUS Specific Trader Portal via the EUCTP and selects the option ‘Create T2L(F) Proof Request’. 
   1. If the user concerned is a person, their submission will be an endorsement request. If the economic operator is an Authorised Issuer, they will be asked to enter their Authorisation Number as well. 
   2.  When all the data has been filled in and the request submitted, PoUS validates the request by checking its compliance with the information stored in the interconnected databases. 
       

2. The request is lodged via the PoUS BO at the Competent Customs Office (CCO). The customs authority assesses the request and can decide as follows: 

   1. Neither controls on the goods nor additional documents are needed; or   
   2. Additional controls on the goods and supplementary documents are required - a notification is sent to the EUCTP dashboard, explaining which documents are needed and for what reason. 

   The trader can manage the submission of supplementary documents on the EUCTP dashboard or outside of the system (e.g., via mail or in person). The officer can save the documents in the system themself. In both cases, the user will receive a message when the documents are correctly registered at CCO. 
    

3. Controls are then carried out by the officer. There are two possible scenarios: 

   1. The results of the controls on the goods and documents are unsatisfactory - the request is declined, and a negative controls results notification is sent to the user together with an explanatory note. 
   2. The results of the controls are satisfactory - the proof endorsement is confirmed, and the proof is registered. 

   The business process for registration requests follows a slightly different path to that for endorsement requests: in case of a registration request from an Authorised Issuer, controls are simplified and, if there is no decision on performing controls, the proof is automatically endorsed. 
    

4. A Master Reference Number (MRN) is issued by the PoUS-BO. The officer has the competence to confirm (or not) the requested validity period for the proof. This latter is stored in the Central Repository and made available for retrieval. 
    
5. A confirmation notification containing the relevant data for the registered proof is then sent to the EUCTP dashboard, where the user can consult and download the Status Registration Document (SRD). 

The following types of proof are supported in the new PoUS: 

• Phase 1 of PoUS implements T2L and T2LF data. The deployment date was 1 March 2024. As of this date, EU countries and Economic Operators must have started using the new PoUS. 
• Phase 2 will implement the Customs Goods Manifest. It will be deployed on 15 August 2025.

• Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 laying down the Union Customs Code 
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 laying down the Union Customs Code 
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447 for Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 laying down the Union Customs Code

• The Customs Decisions Management System: if the proof request is submitted by an Authorised Issuer, the PoUS system connects to the Customs Reference System (CRS) – which includes the decisions from the Customs Decisions Management System (CDMS) – and queries it to validate the authorisation (ACP). 
• National Risk Analysis systems: can be connected to PoUS to streamline the PoUS process. Some of national systems (e.g. Presentation Notification system) may be connected to PoUS to simplify the customs processes for the Economic Operator. 
• The European Maritime Single Window Environment (EMSWe): When the PoUS for CGM is deployed, the interconnection between PoUS and EMSWe is envisaged. It is possible for the National Single Windows (NSW) of the EMSWe to exchange information with PoUS for endorsement/registration and presentation purposes. 

Useful documents: 

• Guidance on using EUCTP: TP UMN (europa.eu) 
• Access Management through UUM&DS: Access Management through UUM&DS (europa.eu) 
• UUM&DS Central Delegation Management Tool: f7a0f92d-8c5e-4558-98ce-f325b2e7f7ce_en (europa.eu)