New EU customs pre-arrival security and safety program to start in March 2021

May 11, 2020

The European Union (EU) will launch a new EU customs pre-arrival security and safety program on March 15, 2021.

The program will help establish an integrated EU approach to reinforce customs risk management framework. Its implementation is seen as an essential EU customs instrument for managing entry security and safety border controls.

The program, called ICS2 (Import Control System 2), involves a complete overhaul and reform of the existing regime from IT, legal, customs risk management / controls and trade operational perspectives.

As an advance cargo information system, ICS2 will collect data about all goods entering the EU prior to their arrival. Economic Operators will have to declare safety and security data to ICS2, through a so-called Entry Summary Declaration.

The obligation to start filing such declarations will not be the same for all Economic Operators. It will depend on the type of services that they provide in the international movement of goods and is linked to the three release dates of ICS2 (March 15, 2021, March 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024).

Link: ICS2 Website