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ICS2 Overview
Economic Operators (EOs) will have to declare safety and security data to ICS2, through the Entry Summary Declaration (ENS). The obligation to start filing such declarations will not be the same for all EOs. It will depend on the type of services that they provide in the international movement of goods and is linked to the three release dates of ICS2 (15 March 2021, 1 March 2023, and 1 March 2024)
In alignment with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/2151 - the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) will be operational in three releases. Each release affects different Economic Operators (EOs) and models of transport. EOs will begin declaring their goods to ICS2 depending on the type of services they provide.
FAQs
General Information
What is CHAMP thinking about the PLACI requirement?
CHAMP is part of the ETN European Trade Network and with that participating actively in all sorts of Webinars, Conferences, and information exchange with the TAXUD, IATA, CELTEC, and the Member States. That is why we have a solid understanding of the ICS2 PLACI requirements which will be smoothly integrated into our TGS (Traxon Global Security Service). With this service we are already connected to US ACAS, UAE NACI in production as well as CA PACT and UK PREDICT. CA and UK will also enforce their PLACI requirements next year. TGS, the same as Traxon Global Customs (TGC) supports multiple country connections so can be used as one single gateway for PLACI filings.
What are the most relevant changes you have mapped between ACAS and PRECISE/ICS-2?
PLACI schemes in usual are about 7+1 data. This is the same for the EU. The message set that needs to be sent/will be received to/by the EU however is completely different. Also the status codes won’t be exactly like US (e.g. SF, 6H, 8H, 7H etc.). The IATA has proposed a set of codes the trade could agree on for upcoming PLACI schemes. CHAMP will follow this standard. We have finalized our analysis and will start development. After completing the performance tests, we will be a certified vendor for ICS2. We plan to grant our customers access to the new service in TGS and TGC by the end of this year/beginning of next year, to allow for an easy transition.
Do you have any solutions that can be integrated into the cargo operating systems or are you only considering connectivity between CCS and customs?
Same as in TGC, Notifications can be configured to send emails or CSN messages back to the sender system to automatically share the Security status. If an API would be of interest we could be looking at that as well.
Do we have to wait for EU release before we can load cargo to be exported from our country to EU?
You don’t have to, but you take a big risk not doing so. Without an assessment complete message from the EU you might be asked to divert your flight / face issues apart from risking to have a security risk on your aircraft.
What if we are the export country but the airline is stopping in another country prior to arriving in EU, who is responsible for notifications and waiting for release to send import to EU?
This is a business decision. Recommended is to perform the PLACI filing right at the first station, but you can take the "risk" to fly to your first destination prior the EU and only perform the PLACI filing there. In case you get a referral which you cannot manage on time you need to offload.
Is it possible to respond to the referrals on a Share Trader Interface (STI) portal?
Our applications will offer a solution to send the R02 & R03 messages to the STI, yes. I am not sure you can use the Shared Trader Portal (STP) to respond to a referral manually.
When do you expect the 3 to 6 months grace period to be finalized?
Cannot answer this one right now. We will ask more info from the TAXUD. We might or might not get an answer.
Must filing messages be in order (for example: file FHL then FWB then FFM)? When can a violation be recorded regarding messages submission?
That depends on the solution you will be using. Using our services the order of messages does not matter as our applications have embedded logic to treat the data correctly.
What makes ICS2 different from the previous trend? Still today we report master AWBs to customs authorities in Europe (First arrival airport in Europe). Is the difference HWB level reporting?
ICS2 same as ICS1 will ask for MAWB, Direct and HAWBs to be reported. ICS2 however adds the Pre-Load process, allows Forwarders to file HAWBs, introduces referrals as well Control Notifications after arrival. In addition it is making new data like the HCC mandatory.
What is the difference between the pre-loading and pre-arrival message (Data elements)?
PLACI usually refers to the 7+1 (AWB, description, piece, weight, unit, shipper name, address, consignee name, address) whereas ACI data contains a lot more info like method of payment, kind of package, customs office codes etc.
Is this activity better to be performed by GSA or GHA?
Depends on the activity. If a GSA is taking care of your operations most of ICS2 will be in good hands with them. A GHA usually more covers/offers services regarding Customs filing at the receiving end, where the goods will be offloaded. For the Pre-Load filing part I would expect the GHA to expect the shipments already clean before planning to load them and the GHA will not be able to manage the technical filing perhaps.
Can the freight forwarder use the FHL message to support the ICS2 requirements?
The FHL as such can contain all the information required to report HAWB data to ICS2, yes. Some data usually is being picked from reference data inside the applications. Things like Customs Office Codes, or Declarant EORI etc. This is usually not part of the FHL details as such. Generally speaking indeed it is enough for the FF to use the FHL to feed the Airlines. The HCC code on Goods Item level might become a tricky topic in the future.
As a freighter airline, which CHAMP module would we need to support this?
Traxon Global Customs (TGC) for Pre-Arrival filing and Traxon Global Security (TGS) for the Pre-Load filing.
Will the sender of PLACI Data receive MRN number or any approval code proving risk assessment is completed? We know that ACAS do not provide any approval number, we receive a simple message indicating that assessment completed. How will it be with EU PLACI system?
Both. If your filing has no error, you will right away receive an MRN. After that, you can receive an RFI/RFS or DNL and finally an Assessment complete. Indeed ACAS only provides an SF or 6I/7I/8I to release referrals. ICS2 will in addition issue an MRN as well.
After submitting required messages for pre-loading, will any messages return back to airline system?
Yes, there is different messages and status you can receive. This can be Error, Acceptance (MRN), RFI, RFS, DNL and Assessment Complete.
Does this mean mail will be loaded with AWB number and not with CN number?
Yes, correct.
Is ICS2 also applicable for Switzerland?
Yes, ICS2 will also be applicable to Switzerland and Norway.
Since there will be a cutover period for ICS2, and some countries' customs authorities will require PN & TSD XML messages, does this mean this also can not be a big bang approach and there will be a cutover period?
The PN & TSD is not a big bang as such either way as the various different member states have different progress on this initiative. We just received some updated information yesterday which is not yet official to be shared that some new time windows will be agreed as some member states have asked for degradation. Some member states might enforce those new messages sooner, some others later and some might enforce the TSD together with the PN, other will start only with the PN.
We are an airline, can the information only be sent before the aircraft departs?
Do we need to know the address to send the deployment window if our EORI number is FR2? Should we sign something to have data quality?
Should we request a 2 week deployment window?
Yes, we recommend that you ask for a deployment window either from 1-15 June or from 16-30 June.
What must the Airline ask the local authorities?
With ICS2 implementation, is ISC1 going to be shut down?
Yes. As an economic operator once you have cut over to ICS2 you cannot go back to ICS1. ICS1 will only run as long as not all airlines have cut over, so currently latest 30 June.
How can you get a National Contact and to recognize our Member State if EORI is known?
The TAXUD has published an official contact list. The first two letters of your EORI code determine the member state you need to contact.
Which are data must be sent to customs at the time of booking for the preload process?
You need to provide at least the 7 + 1. Consignee Name, address, shipper Name, address, piece count, weight, goods description, and the shipment number.
When will the CARDIT data be mandatory?
You are referring to Airmail: As a carrier, you will need to comply with the new rules at the same time as for general cargo and provide us with the receptacle numbers. The go-live date is as it stands today ( JAN 2023) the 1 March 2023 unless you have requested a specific deployment window.
When do Windows deployments take place?
You can request a 2 weeks deployment window in the period from 1 March until 30 June. We recommend that to ask for a deployment window either from 1-15 June or from 16-30 June.
If there will be any portal available to update the information manually?
You can manually amend the pre-arrival information in Traxon Global Customs.
If we are only using the CHAMP Weight & Balance system what should I do?
The ICS2 program is not related to Weight and Balance so nothing you would need to do from that end.
Should you transport goods into the EU as a carrier then some of the recommended steps might be applicable to you as well.
Is the UK EORI number the same as the EU EORI number?
No. With the UK leaving the EU the UK cannot be used anymore. You need an EU EORI number.
Please advise if I can apply as an airline for UUM & DS before I have the deployment window.
Yes, you can apply for the registration and request the deployment window in parallel, there are no dependencies between the two.
How can I apply for EORI as staff callback?
Pls refer to the following link on how to request your EORI :
customs.ec.europa.eu/customs-4/customs-procedures-import-and-export-0/customs-procedures/economic-operators-registration-and-identification-number-eori_en
Indeed based on the feedback we did receive from GHAs we understand that typically GHAs do not want to offer pre-load filing to their customers. The GHAs would though need to receive the status of the pre-load filing from the carrier in order to proceed accordingly. The details will depend on the agreements found between the carrier and GHA.
Previously our GHAs are responsible for ENS/ICS filling however after ICS2 we expect the same from GHAs whereas PLACI requirements will be completed by Origin. Kindly explain how to handle this.
In order to meet the PLACI requirement of the EU you either need to connect directly to EU customs or choose to use an IT service provider such as CHAMP and sign up to Traxon Global Security (TGS). Please contact traxonsales@champ.aero in case you would like to understand more about TGS.
Could you please specify if GHA should register their EORI and if the deployment window applies to them?
This will depend on the type of services that you do offer to your customers. If you are a declarant in the context of ICS2 you will for sure need to be a known Economic Operator (EO) and as such have an EORI and also will need to register in the UUM&DS portal.
Also in the goods presentation & temporary storage declarations the EORIs of the presenter, the depositary and person entitled are required.
Is the deployment window request to be aligned with the authorities in terms of dates, or is something to be settled just between the Airlines and CHAMP?
The deployment window needs to be agreed upon with the customs authorities that are with the member-state with which you have registered your EORI. CHAMP should be informed once the deployment window has been granted.
How do you request a deployment window?
You need to request the deployment window by contacting your member state. The TAXUD has published an official contact list. We had added the contact list and the details of what to request to our newsletter. Please refer to CHAMPs FAQ on ICS2 (https://www.champ.aero/import-control-system-2-ics2-for-air-cargo) for more detailed information.
We are a GHA and not sure if our carriers need us to file on their behalf yet. Do we still need to register for the deployment window?
As a GHA you do not need to request a deployment window. The carriers are required to do so or have to be compliant 1 March 2023.
If you intend to be a declarant then you would need to register in the UUM&DS portal.
As an airline located in a country that is inside the EU/EEC custom safety zone, but outside the EU, what EU state is recommended to use as a host country?
This is not a question we can give advice on.
Should you already have an EORI number then that will determine the member state goes through.
Should you be interested in our services, please contact traxonsales@champ.aero.
We are a GSA and are representing several airlines: do we need to request one-time a deployment window as GSA or do we need to request a deployment window for every airline each?
You do not need to request a deployment window as a GSA. The carriers need to do the requests.
Messaging
Must filing messages be in order (for example - file FHL then FWB then FFM)? When can a violation be recorded regarding messages submission?
That depends on the solution you will be using. Using our services the order of messages does not matter as our applications have embedded logic to treat the data correctly.
Does the airline need to create a format for which specified by EU customs? It means EU customs do not accept XFWB and XFZE.
No EU Customs does not accept CXML messages. The EU Customs messages are specific, tailor made XML messages that have nothing in common with CIMP or CXML messages.
Is messaging, e.g. PAWB or new FHL-Version etc. being integrated into Cargospot as well?
Yes.
What makes ICS2 different from the previous trend? Still today we report master AWBs to customs authorities in Europe (First arrival airport in Europe). Is the difference HWB level reporting?
ICS2 same as ICS1 will ask for MAWB, Direct and HAWBs to be reported. ICS2 however adds the Pre-Load process, allows Forwarders to file HAWBs, introduces referrals as well Control Notifications after arrival. In addition it is making new data like the HCC mandatory.
As the "consol cargo" is no longer allowed and the declaration will be done on the commodity level, this means to issue a transit document. Will we have to use an HS code per commodity?
That is what the rules say, yes. I sense to start with everyone needs to agree on a kind of pragmatic approach.
For PAWB, can we share this information using xFWB & xFHL to CHAMP?
Yes + XFFM please. We need to know which MAWBs will be manifested on what flights. Pretty much the same as for general cargo.
What type of messages are required for PAWB, if TGC can accept the CARDIT and RESDIT or FWB and FHL required for PAWB?
CHAMP's Traxon Global Customs (TGC) will accept FFM/FWB/FHL with OCI lines or XFFM/XFWB/XFWB. TGC will not accept CARDIT/RESDIT messages. You need to have a solution to transform those postal messages into PAWBs.
Must an application be done for each EU country per carrier to be able to file ENS/ICS messages? Will this procedure still be effective/valid after ICS2-go-live?
No, according to our information this will become a lot more simplified. Only one registration in the UUM&DS will be required to enable to report to each Member State.
Would it be possible to use the MRN of the PLACI for the pre arrival notification?
No, the Pre-Arrival ENS will generate a new MRN. This is also the one that will be required by the GHA for succeeding processes like Good Presentation or Temporary Storage.
In order to check the status RFI/RFS/DNL, is the airline at the origin side allowed to access EU customs' website?
No, this is working with messages and information exchange between the different parties. ICS2 allows some data sharing, but some parts the Airlines/FF/Handlers need to establish their own data exchange. We can help doing so.
Can you arrange pre-arrival filling at the same time as the pre-loading filling (combine both pre-load and pre-arrival)?
Practically there is no restriction to do so, however most probably at Pre-Load time you will not have all information available to build proper Pre-Arrival messages (e.g. flight times or onload offload information would be missing).
Will there be any connection or interface between PLACI for security and ENS process for custom? Will the system block any shipment to be proceeded through ENS system if PLACI process is not completed yet?
If you are using the CHAMP product suite, Cargospot, Traxon Global Customs (pre-arrival) and Traxon Global Security (pre-load) then yes. There is a smooth integration between the applications and CargoSpot, based on the status received from the PLACI, and ACI filing will avoid loading or delivering the goods without proper releases from ICS2. If you are using a third-party product for handling other than Cargospot then you can still use TGS and TGC to automatically share the status with your backend application, in which you have to interpret the codes then accordingly.
Cargo XML has not really taken off, was not long ago just a small percentage of messages. That is potential big problem.
Indeed. CHAMP will offer ways to use CIMP messages and still comply with ICS2 by the help of a little but well known customization using OCI lines and embedded business logic.
For PAWB, can we share this information using CXML XFWB & XFHL to CHAMP?
Yes.
Does this include the HS Code on commodity level?
Yes indeed. As per the legislation which also is the base for the technical specs. the HCC and even weight is mandatory on HAWB Goods Item (commodity) level. Quite a challenge.
Does the postal operator not report mail and main issue is for carrier to be able to receive and act on referrals?
No. Postal Operators only report Air Mail Pre-Load. The Pre-Arrival part is on the Airline carrying the Mail shipments by sending the F42 message.
Can we receive the requirements on how to transmit the new data on FHL and FW messages?
This is available in the CIRCABC repository, access this information here. It contains all MIGs as well as process descriptions also for the FF that intend to report the HAWB on their own.
Does the TGC function convert from C-XML (XFWB, XFZE )to a format for which specified by EU customs?
So far TGC would expect CIMP messages and convert those to the EU-specific Customs messages, yes. If CHAMP will see the need to support also CXML messages then we will open our product to also consume those.
Is there a max number of HS code to indicate in the FHL in C-IMP and C-XML? As an example, for a shipment with +20/25 codes for different items, how is it determined how many/which are shown?
The CIMP FWB is limited in the number of HS codes it can hold The RTD section does allow 12 repetitions but you will probably not be able to use the full 12 lines just for HS codes. Similar to the FHL. The respective CXMLs have no limitations. The TGC user interface is currently supporting a limited number of codes in line with the CIMP standard.
Can an airline use a 3rd party to submit the data on their behalf? If so, what workflow and systems can one use to do this?
Yes, you can either choose to have an agreement with a GSA or GHA or you go through an IT service provider and eg subscribe to Traxon Global Customs or Traxon Global Security from CHAMP. In case you are interested in any of CHAMP services please contact traxonsales@champ.aero.
If there are 12 HOUSE AWBs under one MASTER AWB, does the forwarder need to set 12 HS-CODEs in the RATE DISCRIPTION field of the X-FWB? Or is it okay to use the main 5?
From EU Customs point of view the more the better and would want to receive HCC codes at the goods item level.
Looking at the current data we have received across all our customers, we have seen that currently approx. 80% of the shipments do not have any HCC code.
From that point of view, it would be good to start with the main 5 or even the main 1.
If the message exchange between forwarder and carrier is CIMP based then the CIMP format will set the limitation of the maximum number of HCC codes.
Information for Freight Forwarders
Can the freight forwarder use the FHL message to support the ICS2 requirements?
The FHL as such can contain all the information required to report HAWB data to ICS2, yes. Some data usually is being picked from reference data inside the applications. Things like Customs Office Codes, or Declarant EORI etc. This is usually not part of the FHL details as such. Generally speaking indeed it is enough for the freight forwarder to use the FHL to feed the Airlines. The HCC code on Goods Item level might become a tricky topic in the future.
Is self-filing for freight forwarder mandatory? Or is there way that freight forwarders may transmit details to airlines and final filing can be done by airlines?
No, not mandatory. The FF can leave the filing fully to the Airline which in the end is anyway the one being reliable/liable.
As Freight forwarder, how do I tell to the airline that this is a Pre-load or Pre arrival Message?
The question is, what is meant by "this". If the question refers to the scenario where the FF has done the filing to ICS2 and has received a response which he want to forward to the Airline and want to tell the Airline if the response is from a Pre-Load or Pre-Arrival filing, then this is something the Airlines and the FF would need to find an agreement on (e.g. specific flags in a potential CSN message the FF would share with the Airline).
Is the EU-ICS2 filing platform free for use for Freight Forwarders?
The EU ICS2 STI is open to be used also by FF and also free of charge as such. Of course you need build or buy a solution to be able to connect and to submit the messages according to the EU specifications.
Other support
Links to TAXUD information
What is UCC?
Union Customs Code (Annex B).
What is PICS?
*information updated 17 October 2022
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