Pre-arrival and Pre-departure information

From 1 January 2011, persons must provide advance (pre-arrival and pre-departure) information to the customs authorities on all goods entering or leaving the customs territory of the Community.

The right to provide information into the customs information system of the Republic of Lithuania and to receive notifications from it is acquired upon signature of an electronic data interchange contract.

Persons liable to obligation

Advance information on goods brought in must be provided by:

   - the person who brings the goods, or who is responsible for the carriage of the goods into the customs territory of the Community (main person liable to obligation),

   - any person who is able to present the goods in question or to have them presented to the competent customs authority,

   - a representative of one of these persons.

Where the active means of transport entering the customs territory of the Community is only transporting another active means of transport that, upon entering the Community, further moves by itself (e.g. road modes of transport carried by a vessel), the operator of that other means of transport is obliged to provide advance information complying with the time limit set for the active means of transport.

Advance information on goods brought out must be provided by:

   - the person who brings the goods, or who is responsible for the carriage of the goods, out of the customs territory of the Community,

   - any person who is able to present the goods in question or to have them presented to the competent customs authority,

   - a representative of one of these persons.

Form for submitting advance information

Advance information on goods brought in is to be indicated in an entry summary declaration (ENS). A transit customs declaration including safety and security data can be lodged instead of the entry summary declaration.

Advance information about the goods brought out is to be indicated in an exit summary declaration (EXS), if the customs declaration is not required on bringing the goods out (non-Community goods were temporarily stored over 14 days in the Community sea/airport before their loading into a means of transport for re-exporting from the Community; Community goods are transported from one place of the Community customs territory to another via the territory of the third country). In other cases, an export or transit customs declaration including safety and security data can be lodged instead of the exit summary declaration.

Data prescribed in Annex 30A of the Implementing provisions of the Community Customs Code and required to be indicated in the summary declaration are to be provided in such declaration; the said declaration is to be made following explanations provided in the said Annex.

Deadlines for submitting advance information

Containerised maritime cargo: (except short sea containerised shipping)

24 hours before loading at the port of departure

Bulk/break bulk maritime cargo (except short sea bulk/break bulk shipping)

4 hours before arrival at/departure from the first port of the Community

Short sea shipping *)

2 hours before arrival at/departure from the first port of the Community

Long haul flights (duration – over 4 hours.)

4 hours prior to arrival to the first EU airport; on departure, 30 minutes before the take off of the aircraft

Short haul flights (duration – less than 4 hours)

On arrival, the actual take off of the aircraft; on departure, 30 minutes prior to the take off

Rail and inland waterways

2 hours prior to arrival to/departure from the customs territory of the Community

Road traffic

1 hour prior to arrival at/departure from the customs territory of the Community

*)  for movement between Greenland, the Faeroe Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, Norway, Iceland or ports on the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Black Sea or the Mediterranean, all ports of Morocco, and the customs territory of the Community with the exception of the French overseas departments, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands; goods carried between territories outside the customs territory of the Community and the French overseas departments, the Azores, Madeira or the Canary Islands, where the duration of the voyage is less than 24 hours

 

Where it is found by the customs authorities that no advance information on goods brought in or out has been submitted, the main person liable to obligation must lodge an entry of exit summary declaration immediately. If the main person liable to obligation fails to submit advance information or submits it after the prescribed deadlines, this does not preclude the application of penalties.

Advance information is not required in respect of the following goods:

•         goods carried by fixed transport installations (electric energy, goods supplied by pipeline),

•         letters, postcards and printed matter, including on electronic medium,

•         postal items moved under the rules of the Universal Postal Union Convention,

•         goods for which a customs declaration made in writing or by any other act is permitted (with the exception of pallets, containers, means of transport, household effects, if carried under a transport contract),

•         goods contained in travellers` personal luggage,

•         goods covered by ATA or CPD Carnets,

•         weapons and military equipment carried by the authorities in charge of the military defence of a Member State, in transport operated for the sole use of these authorities, as well as goods moved under cover of the form 302,

•         goods carried on board vessels of regular shipping services, and goods on vessels or aircraft which are carried between EU ports or airports without calling at any port or airport outside the customs territory of the Community,

•         diplomatic cargos,

•         goods carried from drilling or production platforms or wind turbines operated by a person established in the customs territory of the Community,

•         goods in a consignment the intrinsic value of which does not exceed 22 EUR provided that the customs authorities accept to carry out risk analysis using the information accumulated in the system of the economic operator,

•         ship and aircraft supplies (only in the case of exit),

•         goods brought from territories within the customs territory of the Community where Council Directive 2006/112/EC or Council Directive 2008/118/EC does not apply, and goods brought from Heligoland, the Republic of San Marino and the Vatican City State to the customs territory of the Community,

•         goods brought to the territories within the customs territory of the Community where Directive 2006/112/EB or Directive 2008/118/EB does not apply, and goods sent from these territories to another place of destination within the Customs territory of the Community, as well as goods sent from the customs territory of the Community to Heligoland, the Republic of San Marino and the Vatican City State,

•         goods carried on means of transport only passing through the territorial waters or the airspace of the customs territory of the Community without a stop within this territory,

•         goods brought in/ out in respect of which advance information is not required according to the international agreements concluded between the European Union and appropriate countries.

The European Commission’s information

Last updated: 15-07-2024