Forwarding, Freight News

Get ready for Entry Summary Declarations, urges BIFA expert

[ November 6, 2024   //   Chris Lewis ]

BIFA frontier policy manager Pawel Jarza is urging forwarders to consider the implications of ENS Entry Summary Declarations for Safety and Security purposes for surface transport. He told an episode of BIFAlink TV on 6 November While introduction of this has been delayed from the original date of 31 October to 31 January 2025 but it is understood that there will be no further delay and that it will happen on that date.

ENS declarations will need to be made into a separate system, S&SGB, not CDS as for customs entries, although there will be quite a large amount of data that is common between the two.

Another key difference is who is responsible. Ultimately, the legal responsibility lies with the carrier, or “whoever controls the active means of transport”. Airlines and shipping lines are in fact already carrying out ENS declarations, but forwarders will need to consider who is going to carry out this task for road movements.

Forwarders might wish to consider whether they want to lodges ENS declarations on behalf of the hauliers they use. There is no legal requirement on them to do so, but those who do will need to consider how data will be obtained and exchanged.

The level of awareness of the issue among hauliers is also unclear. Many of these are not UK-based and may not necessarily understand or be aware of the requirement.

Information is available on line, though not all of it is easy to understand, but BIFA is on hand to help its members. It will be running webinars on the issue in conjunction with HMRC in November and January, said Pawel Jarza, who concluded: “What we want to avoid is a situation on 31 January in which nobody knows that they should be doing.”

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Tags: BIFA