Import Control System 2 (ICS2)

[Updated April 2025]

Updates on ICS2: as of April 1, the EU Customs’ new security data collection system is mandatory for all maritime transport and a transitional period begins for land transport. Find out more and avoid delays, penalties and/or fines for your shipments.

What is ICS2?

ICS2 (Import Control System 2) is the new EU customs cargo data collection system designed to ensure that trade is safe and secure. This new system is in fact no more than an upgraded version of the old ICS and will affect all economic operators involved in goods transport as it is being phased in gradually.

The system collects data mainly through the Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) on all goods coming into the EU prior to their arrival, i.e. it concerns both goods entering the EU’s customs territory and also goods in transit.

ICS2 release dates

To facilitate the transition, the implementation of ICS2 is being carried out in phases and windows according to the mode of transport:

• From 03/01/23 to 10/01/23: general air transport, express air (in full), and postal air (in full).
• From 06/03/24 to 12/04/24: for maritime and inland waterway carriers.
• From 12/04/24 to 04/01/25: for operators submitting house bills of lading in maritime and inland waterway traffic.
• From 04/01/25 to 09/01/25: for road and rail carriers. In the case of roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) traffic (Combined Transport), both accompanied and unaccompanied, these same deadlines will apply.

Benefits of ICS2

The purpose of ICS2 is to enhance the safety and security of trade in such a way that it:

• Strengthens protection of EU citizens and the internal market against security and safety threats.
• Raises awareness of potential risks.
• Allows EU customs authorities to better identify high-risk consignments.
• Facilitates cross-border clearance for legitimate trade.
• Simplifies the exchange of information between economic operators and EU customs authorities.

Who does ICS2 affect?

The new ICS 2 directly affects all economic operators involved in handling, shipping and transporting cargo, express or postal consignments as they will need to file safety and security data with ICS2.

It also indirectly affects manufacturers, exporters and individuals from outside the EU who would like to send goods to or through the EU since they are initially responsible for supplying the necessary information to economic operators.

What additional information needs to be submitted?

The minimum security data which have to be provided are:

• Six-digit Harmonised System (HS) code for each shipped good.
• Detailed description of the goods and items shipped including gross weight, number of packages, and total number of packages according to the smallest outer packaging unit.
• Transport document number.
• Economic Operators Registration and Identification number (EORI) of the consignee.
• Name and address of the consignor.
• Name and address of the consignee.

Who sends the information?

Carriers and freight forwarders are primarily responsible for filing this information. The freight forwarder can either handle it directly or pass the information on to the carrier (land, air or sea). Although the importer can also submit the transmission independently as a self-declarant, it is highly recommended to entrust this process to your freight forwarder.

Other stakeholders such as handling companies may also be involved but only as organisations to which the carrier delegates tasks, i.e. the freight forwarder would not be released from their responsibility to make the notifications.

When should the information be transmitted?

• For air transport: the transmission must be completed before the flight arrives in the EU to facilitate the inspection of shipments before entry.
• For maritime transport: the information must be transmitted 24 hours before loading at the port of origin.

What happens if I don’t meet these ICS2 reporting requirements?

Failure to comply with this new legislation may result in customs authorities rejecting incomplete ENS or issuing risk mitigation recommendations at the pre-arrival stage, resulting in delays in processing the ENS and in the arrival of consignments and the entry process as the goods will be held up.

Apart from this, customs authorities may also decide to impose administrative penalties and fines in cases where data requirements are not met.

As logistics operators, we’ve reworked our processes to comply with this new regulation. If you need to get a quote for your airfreight and more information about the details required for ICS2 registration, just get in touch with our specialist team!