Entry declarations (ICS2) (air and sea transport)

The following must be submitted for goods brought into the customs territory of the EU by air or sea directly from non-Union countries:

Check here the goods for which an entry summary declaration is not submitted.

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. An entry summary declaration also serves as a temporary storage declaration in Finland, when the goods have been presented to Customs.

Shipping companies and airlines are responsible for submitting entry summary declarations, even if they appoint a representative (e.g. a forwarding agency) for that.

How to declare

  • The declaration must be submitted for all goods that arrive on a means of transport from outside the EU.
  • Provide the commodity code at the level of six digits.
  • Provide the goods description according to the common trade name. See the EU publication for examples of acceptable and unacceptable terms for the description of goods
  • Different operators can submit entry summary declarations with data at different levels. This information is combined in the ICS2 System for Safety and Security Data. The operators must agree with each other on this manner.

Time limits

Air transport

The minimum data content of the entry summary declaration has to be provided before the goods are loaded onto the aircraft by which they are to be brought into the customs territory of the EU. Provide the other details within the following time limits:

  • when the flight lasts less than four hours, no later than the actual time of departure of the aircraft
  • for other flights, no later than four hours before the aircraft arrives at the first airport located in the customs territory of the EU.

Sea transport

You can submit the entry summary declaration

  • 200 days before the arrival of the means of transport at the earliest
  • at the latest:
    • for containerised cargo arriving by sea via oceans: 24 hours before loading the container onto the vessel at the port of departure
    • for non-containerised cargo arriving by sea via oceans: 4 hours before the arrival of the vessel
    • for goods arriving by sea from so-called short sea ports: 2 hours before the arrival of the vessel.

Time limits

Air transport

Submit the arrival declaration as soon as the aircraft has arrived in the customs territory of the EU.

Sea transport

You can submit the arrival notification as soon as the vessel has arrived in the port area. However, the notification must be submitted no later than half an hour after arrival.

  • Provide the ID of the warehouse into which the goods will be unloaded, or information – using additional information codes – about what will be done to the goods next.
  • Union goods are presented with undeclared goods in the same presentation notification using the additional information code FIPOU. If the Union goods also have proof of Union status obtained from the Proof of Union Status (PoUS) system, they shall also be presented using a separate presentation notification.

You can submit a presentation notification when the goods have arrived. Read more about submitting a presentation notification.

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

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 for the consignments arriving on the following flights. In the declaration, select the split consignment indicator. The new declaration will receive a new MRN.

Submit the declaration using the same MAWB number that was used in the original entry summary declaration and use the MRN of the original declaration as the previous document.

2. Arrival notification (AN)

When the flight arrives, submit an arrival notification for the means of transport.

3. Presentation notification (FI332) for split consignments

Present the split consignments arriving on 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 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 in 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 can’t 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 declaration has been submitted for the whole consignment already when the first split consignment arrived, no amendment is necessary if the goods aren’t released until the entire consignment has arrived.
  • If you wish for the goods to be released when the first split consignment 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.

Unloading report and invalidation

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

Read more

The Commission’s guidance:

Updated: