ICS2 extends to Entry Summary Declarations (ENS) for rail and road transport as of 1 April 2025
As of April 1, 2025, road and rail carriers will be required to complete the new Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) under ICS2 system, prior to the arrival of their goods in the EU. ICS2 enables customs authorities to better assess the risks associated with goods arriving in the customs territory of the Union, thereby improving the EU's ability to prevent and combat customs threats, and thus ensure a safer and more secure trading environment.
After aviation, maritime shipping and inland shipping, rail and road transport modes are the last to be subject to the requirements of the new ICS2.
This obligation also affects postal and express carriers transporting goods using these modes of transport, as well as other parties such as logistics providers. In certain circumstances, final consignees established in the EU will also be required to submit ENS data to ICS2.
To comply with the ICS2 requirements, affected businesses will be required to meet on time with the following:
- to make sure they collect accurate and complete data from their clients,
- to update their IT systems and operational processes,
- to provide adequate training to their staff, and
- to successfully complete a self-conformance test before connecting to ICS2, to verify their ability to access and exchange messages with customs authorities.
Otherwise, goods might be stopped at the EU borders and might not be cleared by the customs authorities if traders do not meet the ICS2 requirements on time.
Economic operators who have anticipated that they will not be ready by 1 April, have had until 1 March to apply to their EU Member State's national customs authority for a deployment window until 1 September 2025.
Further information: