EC launches Import Control System 2 (ICS2)

7 March 2023: At the start of this month, the European Union launched the second release of its Import Control System 2 (ICS2): the new advance cargo information and risk management platform.

From 1 March 2023, all air carriers, freight forwarders, express couriers and postal operators involved in the transportation of goods by air to or through the EU – as well as Norway, Switzerland, and Northern Ireland – must provide a complete set of Entry Summary Declaration data on the goods, prior to their arrival at the EU external border. They must do this through the ICS2 system, which is gradually replacing the EU’s existing Import Control System (ICS) between 2021 and 2024. In practice, air carriers currently filing advance cargo information into the Import Control System (ICS) will fully phase out from that system as soon as they start filing this data into ICS2.

The European Commission has granted Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Croatia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Sweden a derogation allowing them to connect to ICS2 Release 2 by 30 June 2023.

Additional information is available here.