EU updates customs requirements for Ukrainian carriers: what will change from June 1

From June 1, new customs rules will come into force for Ukrainian carriers when entering certain countries of the European Union. The changes are related to Ukraine’s transition to NCTS Phase 6 — a new stage of the European transit system, which provides for updated approaches to submitting customs data.

This was reported with reference to the State Customs Service of Ukraine. The agency notes that the new requirements will primarily concern the procedure for submitting additional declarations when crossing the border.

The most significant changes will affect transportation through Romania and Hungary. In addition to the standard T1 transit declaration, carriers will be required to submit a Summary Entry Declaration (ENS) to the ICS2 system approximately one hour before arrival at the checkpoint.

Temporarily, similar requirements will apply to Slovakia - until Ukraine fully transitions to NCTS Phase 6. This means that some shipments will also require the submission of additional security data to the ICS2 system.

At the same time, a separate ENS declaration will not be required to cross the border with Poland if all the necessary security data is already contained in the T1 transit declaration. After the integration of the systems is completed, the same approach is planned to be applied in Slovakia.

The State Customs Service explains that Poland and Slovakia have already integrated their national customs systems NCTS with the European import control system ICS2. This allows the use of a single combined declaration that simultaneously covers transit and security requirements.

Ukraine is also completing the implementation of NCTS Phase 6, which provides for the possibility of submitting combined declarations. There will be a transition period until mid-June, during which businesses will still be able to operate in the previous version of the system — NCTS Phase 5.

In addition, the State Customs Service has already updated the technical specifications and methodological recommendations for processing customs declarations in the new system. This should ensure a smoother transition for businesses to the updated EU requirements and reduce the risks of delays during transportation.