The Customs worldwide are focused on the security of international supply chains. Measures to secure the supply chain include the submission of prenotification in electronic form, risk assessment and risk mitigation by Customs authorities.
| Note: An update of this article is pending. Please note that some terms and/or references may differ from the Movement of Goods Act and the Customs Duty Act that enters into force from the 1st of January 2023. |
Customs security takes into account the particularities of both the means of transport and the shipments crossing the Norwegian border to and from a third country (i.e. other countries than EU Member States and Switzerland). The movement of goods between Norway and the EU, and between Norway and Switzerland, are exempted from the prenotification requirement.
From March 15 2021 to March 12024, a new system for the lodging of the entry summary declaration, ICS2 (“Import Control System 2”) will be launched. The launch of the new system will happen in in three different phases. In the first phase, which lasts until 1 March 2023, this does not affect the current obligation to lodge an entry summary declaration in NCTS, but for postal and express consignments transported by air, there will be a duty to lodge a reduced entry summary declaration in the form of a minimum data set before loading of the goods onto the aircraft. The minimum data set shall be provided in ICS2, and will be considered as a complete entry summary declaration for goods in postal consignments having a Contracting Party as final destination and for goods in express consignments with an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 22.
For entry summary declarations that are to be lodged in ICS2, there are separate provisions on the data requirements, which persons that can lodge information/particulars, amendments to the given information, the responsibility for lodging an entry summary declaration etc. Read more about this in the text below and in chapter III of the Norwegian Customs Regulations.
Who should provide a prenotification in the form of an Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration?
The carrier who transports goods across the border to or from a third country is responsible for providing a prenotification to the Customs authorities in the form of an Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration. The persons involved in the supply chain (carrier, agent, importer, exporter, declarant …) must agree on how to exchange information and decide on who will submit the prenotification to the Customs authorities.
When submitting a minimum data set in ICS2, information may be provided directly by the carrier, importer, consignee or another person in whose name or on whose behalf the carrier acts, or anyone else who is able to present or have the goods presented at the first point of entry. It may also be required that others than these provide information, provided that they have the information and the necessary rights to provide it. The person who provides information is responsible for the information he or she provides.
How do you lodge a prenotification in the form of an Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration?
Prenotification in the form of an Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration shall be lodged into the NCTS-system. The information can be provided either as a separate Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration or in combination with a Transit Declaration. If you use the combined declaration, regular transit procedures apply in accordance with the regulations of the Transit Convention. Note that the commodity code (HS) shall be declared with a minimum of four digits in accordance with the current customs tariff.
Minimum data sets are to be lodged in ICS2 and shall contain the particulars that are set out in annex 2 of the Norwegian Customs Regulations.
Direct transport between Norway and a third country
For all shipments crossing the Norwegian border directly from a third country an Entry Summary Declaration shall be lodged before arriving at the border and according to the prescribed deadlines. For all shipments crossing the Norwegian border directly to a third country an Exit Summary Declaration shall be lodged before leaving the country and according to the prescribed deadlines. You shall lodge the prenotification to the relevant Customs Office of Entry or Customs Office of Exit. The person lodging a prenotification must be able to submit all information required by the Norwegian Customs.
- Read about completing an Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration (in Norwegian)
For a separate Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration, you shall enter the same customs office code in the fields for Customs Office of Departure, Customs Office of Transit and Customs Office of Destination.
When you use a separate Entry- or Exit Summary Declaration, you can print out a talon from your own system as documentary proof that you have lodged a prenotification. The carrier can present the talon when arriving at the border. The talon shall only contain the following information
- MRN (Master Reference Number)
- barcode
- carrier
- principal or person lodging prenotification
- number of packages
- gross weight
- clear remark “Entry Summary Declaration – Norway” or “Exit Summary Declaration – Norway”
Shipments from a third country entering into Norway and passing further
A combined Entry Summary/Transit declaration could be lodged for shipments which are to be notified in NCTS and that are transported by road from the Customs Office of Entry to another Customs Office of Destination in Norway or further to a Customs Office of Destination in EU or Switzerland. In this way, you can use the transit procedure to the final destination within the security area. Then you shall enter the customs office code for the Customs Office of Entry in the fields Customs Office of Departure and Customs Office of Transit, and the customs office code for the final destination in the field Customs Office of Destination. If the consignment is to continue onwards from Norway to another country within the security area, the relevant Customs Office(s) of Transit shall be entered, in addition to the first Customs Office of Entry, in accordance with the regulations of the Transit Convention.
When you use a combined Entry Summary / Transit Declaration, you must print out the accompanying document TSAD (Transit Security Accompanying Document) with the MRN and barcode specified. This shall accompany the transport. The transit movement shall be completed at the Customs Office of Destination in accordance with the transit procedures.
Shipments to or from a third country through the EU (indirect transport)
When you transport goods from Norway to a third country through the EU, you must ensure that an Exit Summary Declaration is lodged to the Customs Office of Exit in the EU. When you transport goods from a third country to Norway through the EU, you must ensure that an Entry Summary Declaration is lodged to the first Customs Office of Entry in the EU.
Exit Summary Declaration for goods that you transport through the EU from Norway to a third country (indirect transport to a third country) can, however, be lodged to Norwegian Customs as a combined Entry Summary / Transit Declaration into the NCTS system.
When you use a combined Exit Summary / Transit Declaration, you must print out the accompanying document TSAD (Transit Security Accompanying Document) with the MRN and barcode specified. This shall accompany the transport. You must ensure that the transit movement is completed at the Customs Office of Destination in accordance with the transit procedure. In addition, you shall ensure that the TSAD is presented at the Customs Office of Exit in the EU as documentary proof that the security data has been provided and that a risk analysis has been carried out at departure. It is therefore not necessary to provide the security data again in the form of an Exit Summary Declaration (EXS) at the Customs Office of Exit in the EU.
Deadlines
The following deadlines apply for lodging an Entry or Exit Summary Declaration for goods brought into or out of the security area:
- Transport by road: at least 1 hour before the arrival at the border
- Transport by air:
- Exit: at least 30 minutes before departure
- Entry: before departure for flights with a duration less than 4 hours (short haul). 4 hours before arrival for flights with a duration 4 hours or more (long haul) When submitting a minimum data set, as soon as possible and at the latest before the goods are loaded onto the aircraft in which they are to be brought into the customs territories of the Contracting Parties.
- Transport by sea
- General deadlines (Regulations to Act on customs duties and movement of goods §§ 3-1-4 and 3-1-11)
- Containerised cargo: at least 24 hours before loading at the port of departure
- Other: At least 4 hours before arrival to or 2 hours before departure from the port
Specific deadlines
For sea transport to or from nearby ports the deadlines are somewhat shorter than what has been stated above, even if they are outside the security area. For ports in Greenland, Faroe Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, Iceland, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, Morocco and the United Kingdom and ports of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man the deadline for lodging prenotification is two hours instead of four hours.
Risk assessment
Norwegian Customs conducts risk assessment of all the prenotifications we recieve. Risk assessment is conducted to safeguard the safety and security of the international movement of goods. In some cases, Norwegian Customs will need to inspect documents or goods more closely, or to request further information about the goods. It is therefore necessary that Norwegian Customs has received contact information for the person lodging the prenotifications.
Correction of prenotifications
In NCTS is not possible to correct a prenotification that has already been sent to Norwegian Customs. If the information in the prenotification is incorrect, the declarant must send a new prenotification with the correct information. Then the declarant must ask Norwegian Customs to cancel the original prenotification, specify the cancellation justification and refer to the MRN on the new prenotification.
For minimum data sets lodged in ICS2 the person who submitted the entry summary declaration or particulars therein can request for amendment or invalidation of the declaration or the particulars he or she submitted through the system.
When no prenotification has been lodged for a consignment
In cases where a consignment arrives at the border without any prenotification, the carrier shall ensure that prenotification is lodged immediately. The carrier or its representative must in such cases meet a deadline of four hours. If the original deadline is stricter, the longest deadline shall apply.
Exemptions from the obligation to lodge prenotification
There are some exemptions from the obligation to lodge prenotification.
Background
The World Customs Organization (WCO) unanimously adopted a set of standards in 2005, including the framework for prenotifications, which is to form the basis for safe and efficient global trade – SAFE Framework of Standards.
To increase the level of security at the EU’s outer borders, the EU introduced requirement for electronic prenotification for movement of goods into or out of the EU area. Norway negotiated an agreement with the EU, which resulted in Norway being included in the EU security area from 1 July 2009. This agreement has been included in Chapter IIa of Protocol 10 to the EEA Agreement . It was important to conclude such an agreement to avoid the movement of goods between Norway and the EU being subject to the prenotification requirement, which would have been an obstacle for trade with one of our largest trading partners.
As a consequence of this, the requirement for prenotification of movement of goods between Norway and third countries was implemented. The purpose of prenotifications is that the Norwegian Customs can conduct risk assessment with respect to security and safety before goods enter or exit the customs territory. This is to contribute to safe and efficient movement of goods. Norwegian Customs may demand that necessary information to make such an assessment, is provided.
The EU has entered into a corresponding security agreement with Switzerland. Following this, a bilateral agreement was arranged between Norway and Switzerland that was identical to the agreement that both Norway and Switzerland have agreed with the EU. The movement of goods between Norway and Switzerland is therefore also exempted from the prenotification requirement.
The Agreement between Norway and the EU was amended in 2012 and 2021. The revised Agreement will be published on Lovdata.no, but can in the meantime be found as 
an annex to the EEA Joint Committee Decision here.