The European Union has revealed its intention to implement a comprehensive customs pre-arrival safety and security system designed to scrutinize shipments entering the region via sea, rail, and road.
Scheduled to commence on June 3, 2024, the initiative aligns with the Import Control System 2 of the EU, requiring traders to furnish data on goods destined for or passing through the region before their actual arrival.
The new policy encompasses all modes of transport, including maritime and inland waterways, as well as road and rail. Importers will now be mandated to submit a complete entry summary declaration, marking the third phase of the system’s implementation that extends safety and security data reporting obligations to all transportation modes.
Similar requirements have already been in effect for air transportation of goods, according to the EU.
In a statement, the EU outlined, “With this third release, maritime and inland waterways, road and rail carriers will also need to provide data on goods sent to or through the EU before their arrival, through a complete Entry Summary Declaration (ENS).”
The obligation extends to postal and express carriers utilizing these transportation modes, along with other entities like logistics providers. In specific circumstances, final consignees established in the EU may also need to submit ENS data to ICS2.
Traders have been advised to proactively prepare for Release 3 to mitigate the risks of delays and non-compliance. The EU emphasized that businesses affected by the new policy should ensure the collection of accurate and complete data from their clients, update their IT systems and operational processes, and provide adequate training to their staff.
A self-conformance test is required to be completed by traders from December 11, 2023, before connecting to ICS2 to verify their capability to access and exchange messages with customs authorities.
EU Member States will grant authorization, upon request, to affected traders for a gradual connection to ICS2 within specific deployment windows. These windows range from June 3, 2024, to December 4, 2024, for maritime and inland waterway carriers; December 4, 2024, to April 1, 2025, for maritime and inland waterway house level filers; and April 1, 2025, to September 1, 2025, for road and rail carriers.
The EU warned that goods not accompanied by the required ICS2 data will be halted at EU borders and will not be cleared by customs authorities if traders are not prepared on time.