From 1 April 2025, the European Union’s customs pre-arrival safety and security system – Import Control System 2 (ICS2) – will require rail and road carriers to provide data on goods sent to or through the EU prior to their arrival, through a complete Entry Summary Declaration (ENS).
Who is directly affected?
- Carriers operating in maritime and inland waterways, road and rail
- Freight forwarders
- Ultimate consignees (maritime transport)
- Postal operators
- Express carriers
Operators who are not ready by this date must contact the National Service Desk of the EU Member State where they have registered and obtained their EORI number, to request a deployment window by 1 March 2025 at the latest. Deployment windows are granted only upon request.
To comply with the ICS2 requirements, all affected companies must make sure they collect accurate and complete data from their clients and establish appropriate contractual arrangements. They must undertake the necessary IT development activities as early as possible and ensure that they have successfully completed the mandatory self-conformance testing of their systems to start filing into ICS2.
The system aims to better protect Europe’s single market and its citizens with new customs safety and security measures and will facilitate free flow of trade through improved data-driven customs security processes, adapted to global business trade.
Further information can be found here.