From 1 March 2023, all freight forwarders, air carriers, express couriers and postal operators transporting goods to or through the European Union (including Norway and Switzerland) will have to submit advance cargo information in the form of a full Entry Summary Declaration (ENS), under the second phase of the EU’s new pre-arrival security and safety customs programme – Import Control System 2 (ICS2) Release 2.
Responsibility of economic operators to comply with the requirements of ICS2 Release 2
From 1 March 2023, economic operators involved in the handling, dispatch, shipping and transport of freight, express or postal consignments to or via the EU by air must comply with new advance data declaration requirements for pre-loading and pre-arrival customs risk assessments.
By collecting data on all goods entering the EU before they are loaded and arrive, ICS2 supports the effectiveness of risk-based customs controls while facilitating the free flow of legitimate trade at the EU’s external borders. ICS2 will simplify the movement of goods between customs offices at the first point of entry and the final destination in the EU. For economic operators, ICS2 will streamline requests for additional information and pre-departure risk assessment by customs authorities.
In addition to the responsibilities of air carriers for ENS filing under the Version 2 multiple filing regime, freight forwarders, express couriers and postal operators will also be legally required to provide data. They will either have to share it with air carriers, who will then fulfil the ENS filing requirements, or submit the data directly to ICS2. Postal operators and express couriers, who have so far reported partial information on inbound shipments (under ICS1 Phase 2), will now be required to coordinate with their air carrier to submit all required data.
Air transport industry players who currently record advance cargo information in the Import Control System (ICS) will need to gradually start recording this data in ICS2 during the operational rollout of version 2.
Preparing for ICS2 version 2: conformance testing
Economic operators are strongly advised to prepare in advance for version 2, in order to avoid the risks of delay and non-compliance.
To help prepare for the introduction of ICS2 Release 2, the European Commission will make available a conformance test environment from July 2022 to February 2023, to verify the economic operator's ability to access and exchange messages with customs authorities via the ICS2 interface for traders. This conformance test is mandatory for all economic operators concerned.
Economic operators responsible for transmitting ENS data to ICS2 should determine whether they have an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number. If not, they should contact their chosen EU customs authority to obtain this number and receive assistance in preparing for ICS2 Release 2. They should also assess their business operations for processing imports into the EU and contact their chosen customs authority to log in and take part in upcoming Release 2 compliance testing.
What is ICS2 Release 2?
The EU Import Control System (ICS2) is a large-scale initiative to strengthen customs surveillance of the movement of goods before they arrive at the EU's external borders (air, sea, land and inland waterways). ICS2 allows customs authorities to identify high-risk consignments that require early intervention, while facilitating legitimate trade within the customs territory of the EU, Norway and Switzerland.
The system is being implemented in three versions. With version 1, which covers the process of pre-loading postal and air express consignments, having been successfully completed on 15 March 2021, version 2 is the next stage of the system’s implementation and will be operational on 1 March 2023. Version 3 will be implemented from 1 March 2024, requiring operators transporting goods on sea and inland waterways, roads and railways to comply with the new regulations.
The European Commission is leading the operational implementation of ICS2 in close cooperation with the customs authorities of the Member States, Norway and Switzerland, as well as with industry stakeholders.
Two detailed information sheets are available to guide the procedures related to ICS2 Release 2:
- Fact Sheet 1 : What economic operators who are directly affected by the second version must do to ensure that their IT systems are ready on time.
For more information, please see (link) - Fact Sheet 2 : What are the new data reporting requirements under version 2 for freight forwarders, EU express couriers, postal operators with facilities outside the EU and air carriers, whether these operators are legally established inside or outside the European Union. For more information, please see (link)
You can also watch this video to learn more: Get ready for the second phase of ICS2! – YouTube
For more information on ICS2 and version 2, please visit the European Commission webpage available here.
I do agree with all the ideas you've offered to your
post. They're really convincing and will definitely work.
Nevertheless, the posts are very short for beginners.
Could you please extend them a bit from later time? Thanks for the post.