Export fallback procedure
Customs will give permission to use the fallback procedure in an export procedure only in the case of planned downtime or a long-lasting disruption in Customs’ system. In such a case, Customs will send a disruption notice stating that the fallback procedure can be used.
You can subscribe to disruption notices for message declarants here.
Information about the permission to use the fallback procedure is also given in a disruption notice published in the Customs Clearance Service.
If you’re a message declarant and you notice that you’re not receiving response messages to declarations sent to Customs’ system, and you haven’t received a disruption notice, do as follows:
- First, contact your own IT Help Desk to check whether the message exchange is working.
- After that, contact the operator or service provider in charge of the message exchange.
In the fallback procedure, the declarant or their representative should use a fallback procedure form when making the export declaration, and present the declaration to Customs. When the fallback procedure ends, an electronic export declaration must be submitted to Customs.
A message exchange customer in exports cannot request permission to use the fallback procedure from Customs. If the downtime or disruption is in the message exchange customer’s system, the export declaration should be submitted using a representative or the Customs Clearance System. A message exchange customer can always use the Customs Clearance Service to submit the export declaration without any separate authorisation from Customs.
In Finland, the BC-EAD document is used as the fallback procedure form. The declarant or their representative must themselves produce this BC-EAD fallback procedure form in accordance with EU specifications.
Read the EU’s instructions for how the BC-EAD form should be drawn up and what details it must contain: Business Continuity Plan for the UCC Automated Export System (AES). In addition, the EU has provided more specific instructions and a template for the BC-EAD in an
Excel table.
The form should be filled in as indicated in the Excel table. The form submitted for endorsement by Customs must be in pdf format.
In the fallback procedure, proceed as follows
The declarant or their representative should fill in the BC-EAD form and the BC-EAD ‘List of Items’ form, and then submit the forms to the export customs office in three copies. The forms can be submitted by visiting a customs office with customer service or by emailing the completed forms to the Electronic Service Centre at spake.vienti@tulli.fi.
Customs will allocate a BCP identification number to the fallback procedure document and add the number to the ‘BCP MRN’ box in the top corner of the BC-EAD form and its continuation sheets. The BCP identification number has the format “24FIBCPxxxxxxx”. The reference number provided by the customer under LRN in the BC-EAD form is used as the BCP identification number.
- Fill in the Excel template in three copies and convert them into pdf format.
- Send the fallback procedure forms and export documents in pdf format by email to spake.vienti@tulli.fi or visit a customs office with customer service.
- If the export involves documents requiring entries by Customs, such an as export licence, the fallback procedure document must be presented at a customs office and cannot be presented by email.
- Customs will inspect the export documents and stamp the pdf copy with a date stamp.
- Customs will return two copies.
- The transport of the goods to the place of exit can start when Customs has approved and stamped the fallback procedure documents.
- Present the BC-EAD fallback procedure document and the BC-EAD ‘List of Items’ form to the customs office of exit, which will make the exit certification entries in the document.
- The export consignment can arrive at some other custom office of exit than the one provided in the fallback procedure document. In such a case, the customs office at which the export consignment arrives becomes the actual customs office of exit.
- The carrier in charge of the exit will receive one of the stamped copies.
- An electronic export declaration must be submitted as soon as the disruption is over, but no later than after 7 days.
- The declaration type is “R – retrospective lodgement of a declaration”.
- Customs will be notified of the exit of the goods by the customs office of exit and will make an electronic exit certification for the export declaration lodged retrospectively.
- The electronic exit certification functions as proof of the exit of the goods from the EU territory. A fallback procedure document stamped at the office of exit is only alternative proof of exit.
- If no confirmation of the exit of the goods has been received within 90 days, Customs will start an enquiry procedure. The declarant may then be asked to provide proof of the exit of the goods from the European Union.
- Customs recommends that the declarant or their representative archive the copies of the stamped BC-EAD fallback procedure documents.
How to make a request for loading permission in Finland
To request loading permission, you can send Customs the endorsed copy of the fallback procedure document, as well as the transport documents relating to the export goods, if the goods exit Finland by sea, air or rail and the customs office of exit in Finland is closed, and if the confirmation of exit doesn’t require any entries to be made in the export licence by Customs.
Scan and send the endorsed fallback procedure document and the transport document relating to the export goods to the Electronic Service Centre at spake.vienti@tulli.fi. Send the documents in good time before the exit of the goods so that it is still possible to inspect the goods.
Write “Export fallback procedure” in the subject line of the email and “presentation of goods at the place of exit” in the message body. Customs will reply by email either that the goods can be loaded (Saa lastata) or that the goods must not be loaded (Ei saa lastata).
If the goods are placed under the export procedure in Finland and the goods are at the place of exit ready to be loaded for transportation by sea, air or rail, you can ask for loading permission when sending the fallback procedure documents to the customs office of export.
When the fallback procedure ends, submit an electronic export declaration
When the system disruption is over and the use of the fallback procedure ends, the export declarations submitted during the fallback procedure must be submitted electronically to Customs. Select “R – retrospective lodgement of a declaration” as the declaration type and use the same reference number (LRN, provided by the operator) you used in the fallback procedure document. That way, the declarations can be matched to the correct export.
The electronic export declaration must be submitted no later than within seven days of the end of the service interruption.
Enter the date of exit from the EU as the actual date of export. In the declaration header details, provide the additional information code “FIFAL – Fallback procedure”. As the description, provide the date in the format yyyy-MM-dd.
No separate release decision will be sent for export declarations submitted retrospectively. The declarant or their representative will receive an electronic decision on release with certification of exit.