Get ready for critical Security & Safety Changes (ICS2) with Asendia

Changes to customs regulations and VAT obligations came into effect throughout 2021, and the following years, affecting B2C e-commerce sellers and marketplaces both in and outside the EU.

Since March 15 2021, new safety and security regulations (dubbed Import Control System 2, or ICS2) apply within the EU. Consequently, the consignment data and content information required for export and import must be entered electronically by the sender and sent to the country of destination in advance (electronic advance data – “EAD”).

Taking into account the growth of global cross-border e-commerce, the new regulations are intended to provide greater security and quicker customs processes.

What are the ICS2 releases?

ICS2 will be implemented in several phases:

15.03.2021

Courier and postal transport (Air Express & Postal Air pre-loading)

The electronic Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) will be mandatory for all express and postal consignments destined for the EU, as well Northern Ireland, Norway and Switzerland. These countries are forming a common security area together with the EU.

01.03.2023

Air freight transport

(Air Express, Postal Air and Air Cargo pre-loading and pre-arrival)

In addition, to pre-loading filing requirements, all postal, express and general cargo consignments transported by air will be subject to pre-arrival ENS data requirements.

01.03.2024

Rail, road and maritime transport

Maritime, road and rail carriers will have to submit ENS data to ICS2. This includes postal and express carriers who transport goods using these modes of transport as well as other parties, such as logistics providers. In certain circumstances, final consignees based in the EU will also have to submit ENS data to ICS2.

The ENS or “Entry Summary Declaration” is an electronic safety and security declaration from the carrier to the customs authorities.

A minimum electronic dataset must be provided. This dataset will be included in the Electronic Advance Data (EAD). For a full list of the dataset View the Electronic Advance Data requirements

The requirement to submit electronic data (ENS) prior to the arrival of goods applies to EU destinations, Northern Ireland, Switzerland and Norway. Currently, the UK is not subject to the advance notification.

All Details on the European Commission's official Page

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/general-information-customs/customs-security/import-control-system-2-ics2/

EAD refers to the electronic transmission of data concerning sender, recipient, consignment content and shipment. Since January 1 2021, the consignment and content data of items being exported (including letter mail containing goods up to 2 kilograms) is entered electronically and transmitted to the country of the first entry in the common security area in advance.

View the Electronic Advance Data requirements

By transmitting data electronically, you ensure:

•Compliance with future changes in legislation

• Correct processing: goods can be processed and cleared through customs more quickly

• Avoidance of customs delays and associated customer complaints on parcel status

When customs authorities are unable to fully assess the risk to aviation security with the electronic data provided, shipments will have to be put on hold and Asendia will have to request additional information from you in order for the destination customs authorities to complete the risk assessment. Please note that this might result in additional costs or surcharges.

Failure to provide correct and full information could result in items being refused by the customs clearance authorities. Items may be returned, destroyed, or seriously delayed and you may incur additional costs.

Electronic customs data for the shipment of all goods from January 1 2021 has to be provided. This applies to all items sent via any of our e-PAQ solutions and includes untracked items. This does not concern shipments in free circulation within the EU are only affected if they transit via a third country.

Each parcel, including untracked items, needs to have:

• A unique parcel identification number e.g. a UPU compliant S10 barcode (a unique 13-digit item identifier) attached to the item

• A correctly completed CN22 or CN23 attached to the parcel

• Complete Electronic Advance Data (EAD) related to each transport mode (Mail, Cargo, Express by Air, Road, Rail and Sea)

View the Electronic Advance Data requirements

1. The Sender phone number and/or email address as well as the Addressee phone number and/or email address must be provided to enable customs authorities to contact the Sender or the Addressee (e.g. to clarify questions raised during an item inspection, or to arrange settlement of duties and taxes online).

2. Declared Value: the amount a shipper stated to the carrier that the shipment is worth. In case of any loss or damage to the shipment during transport, the carrier is liable to compensate the shipper on the basis of the declared value.

How can we help you?

The content displayed on this page is intended for guidance purposes only. It is not exhaustive and is constantly being updated to reflect the latest changes. To stay up to date, we advise you to visit this page frequently.

All about critical Security & Safety Changes

Changes to customs regulations and VAT obligations came into effect throughout 2021, and the following years, affecting B2C e-commerce sellers and marketplaces both in and outside the EU.

Taking into account the growth of global cross-border e-commerce, the new regulations are intended to provide greater security and quicker customs processes.

What is ICS2?

ICS2 is a large-scale EU information system enabling customs authorities to carry out targeted risk assessments based on pre-declaration data (Entry Summary Declaration – ENS) prior to the arrival of goods in the EU.

It allows customs authorities to identify high-risk consignments (for example, dangerous goods or weapons) which might require presentation and control earlier in the supply chain.

What are the ICS2 releases?

ICS2 will be implemented in several phases:

15.03.2021

Courier and postal transport (Air Express & Postal Air pre-loading)

The electronic Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) will be mandatory for all express and postal consignments destined for the EU, as well Northern Ireland, Norway and Switzerland. These countries are forming a common security area together with the EU.

01.03.2023

Air freight transport

In addition, to pre-loading filing requirements, all postal, express and general cargo consignments transported by air will be subject to pre-arrival ENS data requirements.

01.03.2024

Rail, road and maritime transport

What does it mean?

The ENS or “Entry Summary Declaration” is an electronic safety and security declaration from the carrier to the customs authorities.

A minimum electronic dataset must be provided. This dataset will be included in the Electronic Advance Data (EAD). For a full list of the dataset View the Electronic Advance Data requirements

The requirement to submit electronic data (ENS) prior to the arrival of goods applies to EU destinations, Northern Ireland, Switzerland and Norway. Currently, the UK is not subject to the advance notification.

All Details on the European Commission's official Page

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/general-information-customs/customs-security/import-control-system-2-ics2/

By transmitting data electronically, you ensure:

•Compliance with future changes in legislation

• Correct processing: goods can be processed and cleared through customs more quickly

• Avoidance of customs delays and associated customer complaints on parcel status

Failure to provide correct and full information could result in items being refused by the customs clearance authorities. Items may be returned, destroyed, or seriously delayed and you may incur additional costs.

Each parcel, including untracked items, needs to have:

• A unique parcel identification number e.g. a UPU compliant S10 barcode (a unique 13-digit item identifier) attached to the item

• A correctly completed CN22 or CN23 attached to the parcel

• Complete Electronic Advance Data (EAD) related to each transport mode (Mail, Cargo, Express by Air, Road, Rail and Sea)

View the Electronic Advance Data requirements

How is Asendia preparing?

In order to meet the requirements, we recommend preparing future shipments with Asendia cross-border shipping tools, which ensures all labels are compliant with the new regulations. They allow you to enter all required data and create all necessary shipping labels and documents in one step.

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We are constantly updating our shipping tools to anticipate regulatory changes and make cross-border shipments smoother, faster and more reliable. Let us take the hassle out of the process so that you can focus on what’s most important: running your e-commerce business.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Get ready for all critical EU Regulatory Changes with our Customs Changes Overview Guide

We’ve put together a summary of the new regulatory material in our Customs Changes 2021 Overview, to help you prepare for the new rules.

Electronic Advance Data requirements

2. Declared Value: the amount a shipper stated to the carrier that the shipment is worth. In case of any loss or damage to the shipment during transport, the carrier is liable to compensate the shipper on the basis of the declared value.

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