What ICS2 changes for your import data

The EU's Import Control System 2, usually shortened to ICS2, changes when and how safety and security data reaches customs for goods entering Europe. For most shippers the change is not the paperwork itself. It is the timing, and who has to supply which detail.

The short version

• More detail is required before goods are loaded or arrive, not after.
• Goods descriptions have to be specific. A line such as "parts" or "consolidated cargo" is no longer enough.
• Some data may now come from parties other than the carrier, including the shipper or the buyer.
• Customs can refer a shipment for more information, and that referral needs an answer quickly.

What changes in your data

The fields that cause the most trouble are the ones that used to be good enough. A six-digit commodity code, a full buyer and seller name and address, and a plain-language description of what is actually in the box now matter for every house bill.

If your ERP holds that information but your booking process does not pass it on, ICS2 is where that gap shows.

How we handle it in a flow

In the Quayside flows we run for European imports, the entry summary data is assembled from the purchase order, the commercial invoice and the booking, then checked before it is filed. Vague descriptions are flagged for a person to fix, and every referral from customs goes straight to our customs desk with the shipment already open.

A referral is not a rejection. It is a question, and a fast, clear answer usually keeps the shipment on schedule.

A checklist for this quarter

1. List the lanes that bring goods into the EU and who files for each one today.
2. Check that six-digit commodity codes are held at item level, not only at order level.
3. Replace generic goods descriptions in your templates with specific ones.
4. Agree who answers a customs referral, and how fast.

If any of these are unclear, our customs team can walk through your lanes with you and show where the data should come from.