Achtergrond:

Bij invoering van het UCC (Union Customs Code) op 1 mei 2016, is opgenomen dat alle communicatie digitaal dient plaats te vinden en dat de aangiftes in lijn moeten zijn met het WCO-model (Word Customs Organization).

De huidige systemen van de douane voldoen niet meer aan alle voorwaarden die daarin zijn gesteld en heeft de douane besloten om over te gaan tot de invoering van DMS 4.0.

De Nederlandse Douane zal stapsgewijs in 2023 haar bestaande aangiftesystemen (AGS, GPA en SPA) omzetten naar het nieuwe Douaneaangiften Management Systeem (DMS). Deze aanpassing heeft gevolgen voor bedrijven die goederen importeren of exporteren van of naar landen buiten de Europese Unie. Doel van dit nieuwe EU-datamodel is dat de verschillende diensten van de lidstaten beter met elkaar kunnen communiceren. Ook Gerlach zal moeten overgaan op het nieuwe DMS.

Wat betekent dit voor u:

Concreet betekent dit dat er meer informatie en andere data in de aangifte moet worden vermeld.

Wij zullen u, indien van toepassing, om additionele informatie vragen om de aangifte correct te kunnen verwerken.

De aangever, Gerlach of logistiekdienstverleners, zullen in DMS zelf de aangifte moeten corrigeren nadat de Douane bij een controle bevindingen heeft geconstateerd, iets wat nu nog door de douanebeambte wordt gedaan. Dit houdt concreet in dat vanaf de introductie van DMS wij contact met u zullen opnemen indien de aangifte gegevens op ‘te corrigeren’ valt on de juiste aangifte gegevens te achterhalen. Goederen worden pas vrijgegeven als de ‘gecorrigeerde’ aangifte volledig is verwerkt door de douane. De implementatie zal (waarschijnlijk) uiterlijk voor 30 juni 2023 gerealiseerd moeten zijn (na deze datum mogen er geen AGS aangiftes verstuurd, of maandaangiftes op papier of dvd ingeleverd worden).

Andere aangiftes zoals T2L/T2LF zullen in een later stadium maar uiterlijk eind 2024 overgaan op een vorm van digitaal indienen.

U kunt er zeker van zijn dat Gerlach op tijd klaar is met de implementatie van het nieuwe DMS zodat u de service blijft houden die u van ons gewend bent.

Meer informatie:

Voor meer informatie neemt u contact op met uw contact persoon bij Gerlach en voor uitgebreide en meest recente informatie verwijzen wij u naar de site van de douane. Te vinden op: www.douane.nl/dms

Gerlach moves to new mandatory DMS System (Customs Declaration Management System)

Background:

When the UCC (Union Customs Code) was introduced on May 1, 2016, it was included that all communications should be digital and that declarations should be in line with the WCO (Word Customs Organization) model.
Customs’ current systems no longer meet all the conditions set therein and Customs has decided to move to the implementation of DMS 4.0.
Dutch Customs will gradually convert its existing declaration systems (AGS, GPA and SPA) to the new Customs Declaration Management System (DMS) in 2023. This change will affect companies that import or export goods from or to countries outside the European Union. The purpose of this new EU data model is to allow the various member state services to communicate better with each other. Gerlach will also have to switch to the new DMS.

What does this mean for you:

Specifically, it means that more information and other data must be included in the declaration.
If applicable, we will ask you for additional information in order to process the declaration correctly.
The declarant, Gerlach or logistics service providers, will have to correct the declaration in DMS themselves after Customs has identified findings during an inspection, something that is currently still done by the customs officer. In concrete terms, this means that from the introduction of DMS we will contact you if the declaration data can be ‘corrected’ in order to retrieve the correct declaration data. Goods will not be released until the ‘corrected’ declaration has been fully processed by Customs. The implementation will (probably) have to be realized before June 30, 2023 at the latest (after this date, no AGS declarations may be sent, or monthly declarations on paper or DVD submitted).
Other declarations such as T2L/T2LF will transition at a later stage but no later than the end of 2024 move to some form of digital filing.
You can rest assured that Gerlach will complete the implementation of the new DMS in time for you to continue to receive the service you have come to expect from us.

More information:

For more information please contact your contact person at Gerlach and for comprehensive and latest information please refer to the customs site.

In order to prevent this, all parties in the logistics chain have an important task: ensuring that the weights, quantities and Bill of Lading number in the import declaration correspond exactly to the data in the ATO.

It is possible that importers will also have to deal with higher clearance costs. This has to do with the number of lines stated on the B/L. Each line in the B/L will have to be arranged consecutively. This is only possible if this rule is stated in a separate item in the declaration, which results in more items in the declaration. This can be avoided by making agreements with the shipping company on how the containers will be listed on the B/L.

More information on the CVB can also be found at: https://www.voorbereidophetcvb.nl/en/

Bereid je voor op het Container Vrijgave Bericht (CVB)

Douane Nederland is van plan het Containervrijgavebericht (CVB) na oktober 2021, in werking te laten treden. Dit zal grote impact hebben op alle partijen die een onderdeel maken van de logistieke keten.

Het CVB zal alleen worden verstrekt als er een match is tussen de ATO en de opvolgende aangifte. Is er geen match dan zal de aangifte direct geweigerd worden.

Om dit te voorkomen hebben alle partijen in de logistieke keten een belangrijke taak: Zorgen dat de gewichten, aantallen en het Bill of Lading nummer in de aangifte ten invoer exact overeenkomen met de gegevens in de ATO.

Mogelijk zullen importeurs ook te maken krijgen met hogere inklaringskosten. Dit heeft te maken met het aantal regels die op de B/L staan vermeld. Elke regel in de B/L zal een opeenvolgende regeling moeten krijgen. Dit is alleen mogelijk als deze regel in een aparte post in de aangifte wordt vermeld, wat resulteert in meer posten in de aangifte. Dit kan worden voorkomen door afspraken te maken met de rederij over hoe de containers op de B/L worden vermeld.

Meer informatie over het CVB is ook te vinden op: https://www.voorbereidophetcvb.nl/

In order to prevent this, all parties in the chain have an important task: to ensure that the weights, quantities and Bill of Lading number in the import declaration correspond exactly with the data in the ATO.

It is possible that importers will also have to deal with higher clearance costs. This has to do with the number of lines stated on the B/L. Each line in the B/L will have to be arranged consecutively. This is only possible if this rule is stated in a separate item in the declaration, which results in more items in the declaration. This can be avoided by making agreements with the shipping company on how the containers will be listed on the B/L.

More information on the CVB can also be found at: https://www.voorbereidophetcvb.nl/en/

More transparency and efficiency

„A Customs Control Tower system integrated into business processes offers our customers more compliance through clearly defined processes, more transparency and new possibilities for validating data and practices,“ explains Julia Delevi-Werner, Control Tower Supervisor at Gerlach Customs. Companies that choose Gerlach’s Control Tower solution benefit from improved trade performance thanks to customs performance tracking capabilities as a basis for strategic decisions and continuous improvement. They also benefit from lower operating costs through improved collaboration and new ways to proactively manage potential problems. Ultimately, you bring your products to market faster than ever before.

Get more info: The Gerlach Customs Control Tower

Customs Control Tower systems can collect data along the entire customs pipeline of the supply chain and output it as reports. They monitor defined milestones, identify recurring inconsistencies and help the entire company achieve the highest level of compliance with the authorities. For example, if an accompanying document is missing or does not contain relevant information, the system issues warnings and the Customs Control Tower ensures that the missing data is completed and can be used for customs clearance. Incorrect INCOTERMS or HS codes that have not been agreed are also reported to the customer, for example.

A Control Tower can do more than „just customs”

„The data and findings of a Customs Control Tower not only help our customers with customs issues. The Control Tower evaluation also adds another level of business analysis and opens up new possibilities for retrospective tracking and analysis of data“, says Delevi-Werner. With the help of graphs and tables, companies can identify discrepancies and take proactive measures to ensure compliance and optimise the flow of goods. The Customs Control Tower can support their procurement strategy and help them make informed business decisions based on customs data.

With Gerlach’s Control Tower solutions, companies that value centralised customs responsibilities and customized processes with robust KPIs have a complete overview of their goods flows. Thanks to the international transparency of the values of customs duties and taxes and customs processes that are performed on your behalf, you can make the right strategic decisions to optimise your flows of goods.

Benefits of appointing a fiscal representative

A non-resident company, however, may decide to appoint a fiscal representative in relation to its VAT obligations. The fiscal representative takes care of submitting the VAT return, submitting the European Sales Listing as well as intrastate declarations if applicable. Besides those benefits, appointing a fiscal representative also creates the possibility to apply for a VAT deferment license. The Netherlands (Article 23) as well as Belgium (ET14000) have implemented a so-called VAT deferment system. No Import VAT has to be paid actually which results in a cash flow and interest benefit.

Types of fiscal representative

There are two types of fiscal representation: a fiscal representative with a general license and a fiscal representative with a limited license. Only Dutch or Belgium resident companies can be appointed as fiscal representative with either a general or limited license.

A fiscal representative with a general license acts on behalf of a non-resident company with respect to all its supplies of goods and services for which Dutch or Belgium VAT is due, intra-community acquisitions of goods and the import of goods.

A fiscal representative with a limited license can only act on behalf of a non-resident company for the import of goods and subsequent supplies of these goods.

We at Gerlach are for sure the right organization to help you with all your VAT matters in Europe. Get in touch with us.

A large part of our consultancy department is also housed here. We are ready for the next step of growth.
Also from this location we are happy to help you with all customs related issues such as drawing up customs documents, consultancy and control tower solutions.

The markets have a high uncertainty about the developments around Brexit. UK, Belgium and the Netherlands are affected in a special way. UK for obvious reasons, but also Belgium and the Netherlands have the ports that are the starting point for many goods being shipped into the UK and not only the ports, but also the companies performing brokerage services need to prepare to be able to the changes and to service the upcoming volumes.

In the last months, Gerlach has come in contact with many companies in preparation for Brexit. We were able to convince many of them of our profound knowledge and capabilities in customs related topics and they are now approaching us also with non-Brexit related tasks in the field of customs.

"In the age of technology for our customer and us – speed and simplification – is most important."

Apart from Brexit, the preparations for the full range of possibilities of the Union Customs Code (UCC) have been followed strongly by our customers. For example, we have helped them to apply for AEO and for the single European license or consulted them on tariffing. To simplify the clearances for our customers that are based in multiple countries, we have further developed our Customs Control Tower, to help them navigate the world of customs in a simplified and compliant way.

In the age of technology for our customer and us – speed and simplification – is most important. Customers expect a response on their requests in most of the time the same day. Waiting too long means you lose the opportunity or the business. Everything is just one-click away.

Are there any new regulatory events – Customs related – happening in your environment that customers should know about? 

Generic periodic declaration will stop for NL and be replaced by a new way of doing such kinds of declarations. Companies that work with it, will face a lot of changes and acquire new permits. It might even have an impact on their business operations and on their IT landscape. Gerlach has started to consult customers on how best to apply the changes.

One event in Rotterdam that takes place every year is really worth mentioning, the Trade Compliance Congress. At this event new development in the Customs IT field will be discussed.

What makes you very proud of your team right now?

In our team we have created a culture that promotes cooperation and innovation – and I am very proud of that.

The colleagues support each other very strongly and they are always full of curiosity about new topics. Many pilots – related to robotics and automation – we usually start here in my team. I realize that the culture we collectively have here binds employees to the company and helps us to keep our promise to the customer – which is speed and simplification.

We also try to pass on our knowledge through cooperation with universities. In collaboration with Fontys Venlo University of Applied Sciences we are e.g. developing a game on Customs to better explain the complex topic of Customs through gamification.