The clock is ticking on the biggest change to European safety and security declarations in years. From January 2026 , the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) becomes mandatory for all goods entering the EU or Northern Ireland via road, rail, and sea. If you move freight across the border, you likely already file an Entry Summary Declaration (ENS). However, the ICS2 update introduces strict new data requirements . Failing to provide this extra data will result in your goods being s

Cross-channel trade is facing its biggest operational shift since Brexit. Starting in the beginning of 2026 (no exact date yet) , France will strictly enforce the Obligatory Logistics Envelope (ELO)  for all goods entering from Great Britain. While the system has been available for optional use since April 2025, the transition to a mandatory requirement marks a critical turning point. If you are a haulier, freight forwarder, or customs agent, the "wait and see" period is over

A Complete Compliance Guide With the rollout of Import Control System 2 (ICS2) , regulations for moving goods into the European Union are tightening. For GB hauliers and logistics providers, one of the most common confusion points is the Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number. If you are moving accompanied freight into the EU, relying solely on your GB EORI number is no longer enough. This guide explains the specific EORI requirements for ICS2 and pr

If you are involved in filing Entry Summary Declarations (ENS) for goods entering the European Union, you may have noticed a tightening of the rules regarding how goods are described. As part of the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) Release 2 and the upcoming Release 3, the EU is implementing a stricter validation mechanism known as Stop Words. You can download the list of the stop words here: https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/18fb5859-3970-4ac5-b30b-6604977a15a7/library/7dac0c

The legal requirement to submit an Entry Summary declaration will remain with the operator of the active means of transport (haulier), referred to by HMRC  as the carrier. This means: For goods travelling by rail , the carrier is the rail freight operator For goods travelling by air , the carrier is the airline For goods travelling by maritime , the carrier is the shipping company For accompanied RoRo (Roll-on, Roll-off), the haulage company is responsible for submitting the

An Entry Summary Declaration ( ENS ) is a type of Safety and Security Declaration ( SSD ) used by border authorities to assess the potential risks of goods crossing the border. In a way, the ENS is like a simplified version of an import declaration, as all the information included in an ENS can also be found in import declarations. So, you might wonder, what’s the point of duplicating data and creating additional work? The government's response is that while the main purpose

HMRC has confirmed what the mandatory, conditional and optional fields are for GB ENS declarations. Let's look at them in more detail! S&S GB Dataset Mandatory Fields   Local Reference Number  (LRN) – The Local Reference Number needs to be unique for every submission. This number will be used by HMG to reference the specific entry summary declaration if there are any queries around the submitted declaration before it has been accepted and a movement reference number (MRN) iss

For GB ENS declarations, the First place of arrival code  (customs office of first entry code) is a mandatory field. This field is called RefNumCUSOFFFENT731 in the XML file and needs to be added on the header level.HMRC has published a list  (full list below), but there are still a few ports missing from this list. If the port is missing from the list, the closest customs office code needs to be sent. A missing one that I found is Cairnryan. You should be able to use GB00304

In a previous post , we discussed when an empty GB ENS is required. But when the need arises, how do you submit one? For an empty ENS declaration with a transport contract, the empty vehicle must be added to the declaration in the goods section. Here's how to complete the key fields: Consignor and Consignee  - Use the trailer owner's details. Goods Description  - Enter something like "Empty 32-tonne trailer." Gross Mass  - Provide the weight of the empty vehicle. Package Type

Before we dive in, let’s clarify what we mean by multiple consignments (or groupage) . A single transport unit—like a truck, container, or trailer—carrying goods from different sellers/exporters to different buyers/importers. That’s a multiple consignment. Even though the goods are traveling together in the same vehicle, each shipment is treated as a separate consignment because they belong to different trading parties. HMRC does allow multiple consignments in a Safety and Se

This question comes up all the time, and the answer is: it depends. While there isn’t explicit guidance in the legislation for GB ENS  (also known as S&S GB) declarations, HMRC has confirmed that the rules align with those for EU ENS declarations: If the movement is under a transport contract (for Hire or Reward), it needs an ENS. What does this mean? Even if the vehicle being transported is  empty , an ENS is required if the movement is part of a  transport contract . The ke