The next phase of the implementation of Import Control System 2 (ICS2) gets underway from June 3.
This is the start of Release 3 which affects maritime, rail and road carriers.
As of June 3, maritime carriers will have to comply with the requirement for advance electronic data on all shipments coming to or via the European Customs Union comprising of the 27 EU member states and 4 other countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).
The EU’s advance cargo information system ICS2 supports implementation of this new customs safety and security regulatory regime aimed at better protecting the Single Market and EU citizens.
Various industry organisations including FIATA, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations, have highlighted the impact the new requirements will have warning that a failure to comply will result in delayed imports and exports and fines and penalties for those responsible for data submission.
The timings for implementation of ICS2 Release 3 are as follows:
The new regulations require customers to provide various data elements including:
- Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number of the Consignee or full address of the Consignee;
- Six-digit Harmonized System (HS) Code;
- CUS code for harmless and DG chemicals (if included in ECICS/ European Customs Inventory of Chemical Substances);
- EORI of the supplementary declarant (self-filer);
- House bill information in case it needs to be declared via carrier (required post December 2024);
- Buyer and seller information for all cargo destined to the EU for both Straight bill of lading and House bill of lading.
Previous ICS2 releases have covered air general, air express and postal by air cargo.
The ICS2 regime is intended to achieve several key objectives including:
- Increased protection of EU citizens and the internal market against security and safety threats;
- Allowing EU Customs authorities to better identify high-risk consignments and intervene at the most appropriate point in supply chain;
- Supporting proportionate, targeted customs measures at the external borders in crisis response scenarios;
- Facilitating cross-border clearance for the legitimate trade;
- Simplifying the exchange of information between Economic Operators (EOs) and EU Customs Authorities.
Contact Hurricane if you require support ensuring your data is fully compliant with ICS2 Release 3 or earlier releases.
You can also read more about ICS2 Release 3 here.
