Europe’s Import Control System 2 (ICS2)
Article updated February 15th, 2023
The European Union (EU) is strengthening safety and security at customs for its citizens through a large-scale information system called Import Control System 2 (ICS2). As a result, we will need to provide additional information about your shipments to the authorities and we are asking you to ensure that you provide these details, each time you place an order.
What it means for you
March 1, 2023
Beginning March 1, 2023, all goods being shipped into or transiting through the EU*, Northern Ireland, Norway and Switzerland by air will need to have:
- The Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number**.
These rules apply to all goods (except documents), regardless of value.
March 1, 2024
Beginning March 1, 2024 these requirements will extend to road, rail and maritime shipments.
It will be mandatory for us to provide this information to our carriers.
If it is not supplied, we may have to delay your shipment until we can obtain the required details.
What you need to do
-
Provide your EORI number
We will need to provide your Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number** so we can added it to the Tax ID Number field of the shipping application and on the commercial invoice.
If you aren’t already, please start providing these details now. You can send us an email with your order and EORI number, or one of our team member will reach out to you. This will help reduce delays at customs, and ensure that the correct duties and taxes are applied when your goods are shipped across borders.
*EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
**Please note VAT registered businesses must obtain EORI numbers. Depending on applicable country or territory regulations, private individuals may need an EORI number to ship or receive packages. In Norway this is referred to as Organization number and Switzerland refer to this as Unique Identification number.