About ICS

The Import Control System (ICS) is part of the community eCustoms programme. It has been put in place as part of the SAFE standards recommended by the World Customs Organisation to increase the security of international trade imports.
 
ICS is Europe’s electronic management system for goods import security declarations and will be mandatory as of 1st January 2011.
 
Operators will have to send an EDI message (electronic data interchange) including the cargo ENS to the customs authority at the first point of entry into the EU.

The message must be sent in advance, before the arrival of the cargo and in some cases even before loading gets underway.