New entry summary declarations for air traffic and their deployment in stages

The new entry summary declarations and arrival notifications to be submitted for goods consignments arriving from outside the EU by air will be introduced on 1 March 2023. Declarants can apply for a transition period for changing over to the new declarations and notifications.

The new entry summary declarations and arrival notifications for air traffic

In future, the entry summary declarations and arrival notifications will be submitted to the EU’s Common Repository, or CR system. After them, the new presentation notification will be submitted to Finnish Customs.

The data contents of the entry summary declarations depend on the mode of transport used. There are also separate declarations for air freight, express freight and postal consignments, with varying data contents.

From 1 March 2023, e.g. airlines may submit their own partial entry summary declarations for air freight with master air waybill (MAWB) details. The receiving forwarding agency or the consignor of the goods, in turn, submits its own partial entry summary declaration containing house airway bill (HAWB) details. 

Transition periods and related applications

Declarants can apply for a transition period, and the application submitted to Finnish Customs must contain statement of reasons, e.g. simultaneous scheduling planned with the submitters of partial declaration details in the chain of operators. Being granted a transition period requires coordination between Finnish Customs, the other EU countries and the Commission. 

Airlines, express carriers and postal operators can apply for a transition period ending no later than 1 June 2023 from Finnish Customs. Other operators submitting partial entry summary declarations (consignors and consignees or operators representing them) can apply for a transition period ending no later than 2 October 2023 from Finnish Customs.

Businesses with an EORI number issued in Finland shall apply for a transition period from Finnish Customs. Only operators responsible for the declaration – airlines, express carriers and postal operators – apply for a transition period. Representatives sending messages for these users or service providers for message transmission can’t apply for a transition period.

Apply for a transition period by sending a free-form email to Finnish Customs at UCC(at)tulli.fi. Your message must contain at least the EORI number of your business, the declarations your business is going to submit as well as the desired end date of the transition period.  

The transition period must be applied for by 16 January 2023 at the latest. 

More information:
The scenarios for the transition period in the document ”ICS2 Transition from R1 to R2” published on the EU CIRCABC website
Customer notice, 14 June 2022: Message declarants submitting entry summary declarations and software developers: the EU has published message specifications for the new declaration