ECS in Europe

Export Control System: European obligation

With the Export Control System – ECS for short – the European Union hopes to better protect its borders and strengthen its internal market. As an exporter or forwarder, you have been obliged to submit your export declarations electronically in every Member State of the EU since 1 July 2009. The goods must actually leave the EU within 150 days after submission, and Customs checks in the ports whether this does indeed happen.

Each country’s Customs authority does this in its own way, but the outcome is the same. As soon as it has been established that your goods have left the EU, you as the exporter or forwarder will receive a confirmation of exit directly from Customs. Your export declaration is thereby validated and your administration correct. Without a confirmation of exit, you run the risk of a lot of administrative hassle in order to prove that the goods have been exported, or of being retrospectively charged VAT.