Impatex, the supplier of customs and forwarding software, has promised that customers will be ready for ICS (Import Control System) and EMCS (Excise Movement Control System) when they go live on 1st January.
The ICS messaging is being incorporated into both NetFreight – the web-based forwarding system – and ICE – the new-technology successor to Customs Manager. The latter is being gradually phased out.
ICS requires airlines and shipping lines, or agents authorised to act on their behalf, to provide security information electronically in advance of shipments arriving in the EU from non-EU countries – even if it is just transiting the EU.
Impatex said programmers have spent several months on the ICS upgrades to the systems. Although live testing has only been made available by HMRC this month, it has said that it will be ‘lenient’ with users for the first two months of operation.
Impatex said customers would also be ready for EMCS FS1, which goes live on 1st January. EMCS will be mandatory for excise movements within the EU. The first phase of EMCS – FS0, covering arrivals – was introduced earlier this year; it is the second phase – FS1, covering departures – that goes live on 1st January.
