Arrival declarations for goods arriving by air (ICS2)

When goods are imported into the customs territory of the EU by air directly from countries outside the EU, an entry summary declaration (ENS) and an arrival notification (AN) must be submitted for the goods with messages to the Commission’s ICS2 system or in the Commission’s ICS2 service (STI-STP) . A presentation notification (FI332) must also be submitted. The entry summary declaration must include all goods in the means of transport.

Arrival declarations are not submitted for goods that are transported through the airspace of the customs territory of the Union without stopping.

The entry summary declaration is used for submitting safety and security data in advance, which is mandatory for all modes of transport in the EU. The data in the declaration is used for electronic risk analysis concerning safety and security.

Please note that it is not necessary to submit entry summary declarations for all goods.

The transport operator is responsible for submitting the entry summary declaration. The transport operator may also appoint a representative to submit the declaration.

The entry summary declaration submitted to the Commission’s ICS2 system also serves as temporary storage declaration in Finland, when the goods have been presented to Finnish Customs.

How to declare goods arriving by air:

  1. Entry summary declaration (ENS)

    • The airline is responsible for submitting the entry summary declaration before the goods are loaded onto the plane at the departure airport.
    • The entry summary declaration must be submitted for all goods that arrive on the aircraft from outside the EU. The entry summary declaration is submitted with messages to the Commission’s ICS2 system or in the Commission’s ICS2 service (STI-STP) before the aircraft arriving in the EU may be loaded.
    • Different operators can submit entry summary declarations with information on different levels. This information is combined in the Commission’s ICS2 system.

  2. Arrival notification (AN)

    • The arrival notification is also submitted with messages to the Commission’s ICS2 system or in the Commission’s ICS2 service (STI-STP), when the goods arrive at the first EU airport.

  3. Presentation notification (FI332)

    • In addition to the entry summary declaration and the arrival notification, a presentation notification for goods unloaded in Finland must be submitted to Finnish Customs via the Customs Clearance Service or via message exchange. The presentation notification must contain the ID of the warehouse into which the goods will be unloaded, or information (with additional information codes) about what will be done to the goods next. Read more about lodging a presentation notification on this page.

Points to consider

There is a transition period from 1 July to 2 October 2023 for house level declarants, that is operators who submit only house level transport document details. During this period, it is not yet mandatory for them to submit safety and security declarations to the Commission’s ICS2 system and the consignments can arrive in Finland without house level transport document information.

How to submit declarations during the transition period:

  • Transport operator: Submit the arrival notification to the Commission’s ICS2 system and present the consignments by using the additional information code ”FIWHL – Presentation of goods without house level transport document details”. Please note that consignments cannot be placed under a subsequent customs procedure by using the MRN of the entry summary declaration (ENS) as the previous document.
  • Transport operator: Submit a temporary storage declaration (FI337, FI335), in which you provide the house consignment details. Enter the additional information code ”FIPRD – MRN of the previous entry summary declaration”, and the MRN of the entry summary declaration as the description. If you submit a temporary storage declaration (FI337), you must also submit a presentation notification (FI332).
  • Declarant submitting the subsequent customs declaration: In the declaration, provide the following as previous document: the MRN of the temporary storage declaration, the goods item number and the house level transport document number.

In air freight, it is very common that a consignment arrives on several different flights on different days.

How to declare split consignments

1. Entry summary declaration (ENS) for a split consignment

If a consignment declared with an entry summary declaration does not arrive on one flight, submit a new entry summary declaration in the Commission’s ICS2 system for the consignments arriving on the following flights. In the declaration, select the split consignment indicator. The new declaration will receive a new MRN.

2. Arrival notification (AN)

When the flight arrives, submit an arrival notification for the means of transport to the Commission’s ICS2 system.

3. Presentation notification (FI332) for split consignments

Present the goods arriving as split consignments in subsequent flights. In the presentation notification, provide the MRN of the new entry summary declaration, in which the split consignment indicator has been selected.

If you don’t know which house level consignments are arriving, you can always present all the goods in the house consignment transport documents.

If a consignment has been falsely presented as arriving on a flight on which it did not arrive, you can correct the presentation notification by deleting the house level consignment in question. It is not necessary to make the correction however, because a house level transport document of an entry summary declaration with the split consignment indicator can be presented several times.

4. Subsequent customs declaration

In the subsequent customs declaration, always use the MRN of the original entry summary declaration, the number of the transport document and the goods item number as the previous document reference. You cannot use the MRN of an entry summary declaration submitted for a split consignment.

If the previous document in the customs declaration is an entry summary declaration (ENS) and the goods arrive in a split consignment:

  • If the import clearance has been made for the whole consignment already when the first consignment arrived, no correction is necessary if the goods are not released until the entire consignment has arrived.
  • If you wish for goods to be released when one of the split consignments arrives, the import declaration must be amended to correspond to the details of the split consignment. A new import declaration must be submitted for the rest of the goods when they arrive.

Please note concerning the unloading report and invalidation

  • The unloading report cannot be submitted until the final part of the consignment has arrived.
  • Invalidation cannot be requested for goods that have not arrived until it is certain that the consignment will not arrive in Finland at all.

Read more