Your global cargo movements to European Union (EU) are impacted directly by the new regulations implemented under Union Cargo Code (UCC). On 1st March 2024, the third update of the EU’s Import Control System 2 (ICS2) will be released and impact all the maritime, road and rail movements.

The European Union is implementing a new customs pre-arrival by a large-scale advance cargo information system – Import Control System 2 (ICS2). The programme is one the main contributors towards establishing an integrated EU approach to reinforce customs risk management under the common risk management framework. The pre-arrival security and safety programme will support effective risk-based customs controls whilst facilitating free flow of legitimate trade across the EU external borders.

The release 3 will introduce a mandatory risk assessment at both pre-loading and pre-arrival stages, therefore requiring Carriers to provide additional data. This would mean, you as a customer, would also require to provide the below additional information as part of the shipping instructions which includes:

• Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) of the consignee (EU shipments only).
• Full address of the consignee including P.O. Box Number, Postal Code, Sub-division Code.
• 6-digit Harmonized System Code.
• House Bill of lading (HBL).
• Place of Acceptance (In-case of a HBL involved).

ICS2 is the European Union’s IT system created to collect safety and security data about goods entering the Union. It allows customs authorities to better identify any possible risk and take appropriate measures as early as possible. The process introduces the risk assessment at different levels basis the information provided and there are various outcomes then possible which includes:

• Assessment complete (AC) if no risk arises and all details are valid.
• Request for further Information (RFI) in case of incorrect/missing information, or mild risk.
• Do Not Load (DNL) if a major risk is detected.

In our next communication, we will share the details on our enhanced forms which will be introduced to provide the additional information as required in the ICS2 regulations.

Click to learn more about ICS2 Release 3.