FAQ – Pre-departure declaration for export
Here we answer your most common questions regarding pre-departure declarations for export.
Who is reponsible for submitting a pre-departure declaration?
When goods exit the EU, the pre-depature declaration is usually included in the export declaration or re-export declaration. Consequently, the responsibility lies with the declarant (exporter). You may hire a customs representative to submit a pre-departure declaration to Swedish Customs. A power of attorney is required.
If an export declaration is not required, the transport undertaking is responsible for submitting a pre-departure declaration in the form of an exit summary declaration. This can also be done bya a customs representative. A power of attorney is required.
What happens if i fall to submit a pre-departure declaration?
The transport is halted pending the submission of the pre-departure declaration and a risk analysis is conducted.
Which countries are included in the security zone?
All EU countries, as well as Norway and Switzerland, including Liechtenstein, are part of the EU security including Liechtenstein zone.
This means that you can exclude security and safety details in your export declaration when exporting to Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein. This also means that you are not required to submit an exit summary declaration when trading with these countries. Nor do you need to submit a pre-departure declaration when trading with Andorra and Northern Ireland, as this governed by separate agreements.
What information should be provided in a pre-departure declaration submitted as part of an exit summary declaration?
A pre-departure declaration may be submitted as part of the export declaration. Normally, therefore, a pre-departure declaration is not a separate procedure or a separate document – it forms part of the export declaration. If the goods in an export declaration have been released by the customs office of export and the circumstances subsequently change, but before the goods leave the EU, the carrier may report the discrepancies to the customs office of exit when the goods are about to exit the customs territory.
What information should be provided in a pre-departure declaration submitted as part of an exit summary declaration?
More information can be found on the ‘Declaration guide for exit summary declarations’ page.
Declaration guide for exit summary declarations (in Swedish)
What happens if the goods are reloaded before exiting the EU? An example of such information is the container number.
When the goods are subsequently presented for departure at the customs office of exit where the goods are to exit the EU, you will be required to submit a container number.
What rules apply to personal effects when moving?
A pre-departure declaration must be submitted for personal effects in the same way as for all other goods. You are not required to submit a pre-departure declaration if you are personally transporting your own goods in your capacity as private individual.
As a privat individual, when am i exempt from the requirement to submit a pre-departure declaration?
As a private individual, you are not required to submit a pre-departure declaration on goods carried in your personal luggage.
We carry out our operations and store our goods in Jönköping. We often export our goods by car from Jönköping and through the EU. What are the deadlines for a pre-departure declaration when the information is submitted in an export declaration ?
You are required to comply with the export and pre-departure rules. The export rules stipulate that the export declaration must be completed before the goods depart for export from your warehouse. In this case, the rules on pre-departure declarations state that the deadline for pre-departure declarations is one hour before the goods are due to leave the EU, when the goods are leaving the EU by road. Given that your journey by car to the customs office of exit in a different Member State is likely to take longer than 1 hour, will automatically comply with your deadline if you submit the export declaration prior to you the departure of your goods. In this case, therefore, you do not need to worry about the deadlines for submitting pre-departure declarations; instead, you simply need to submit your export declaration, including security and safety details, and wait for Swedish Customs to release the goods for export before transport can begin.
What deadlines apply if we have export goods to send by feeder ship from Gothenburg to Rotterdam, where the goods will then be re-loaded onto a ship leaving the EU?
You are required to comply with the deadlines for export and pre-departure declarations. The export rules stipulate that the export declaration must be completed before the goods depart for export from your warehouse. The rules for pre-departure declarations stipulate that the deadline is set depending on how your goods are loaded:
- Containeised cargo: 24 hours before the goods are loaded onto the vessel (the Port of Gothenburg, in this case) by which the goods are to leave the custom territory of the Union.
- By bulk or batch: 2 hours before the vessel leaves the last port (the Port of Gothenburg ,in this case) by which the goods are to leave the customs territory of the Union.
If the vessel is part of a regular shipping service (RSS), the goods retain their Union status until they reach Rotterdam. In such cases, the deadline is calculated from Rotterdam. When transporting goods via an RSS service, it will likely take more than 24 hours from the time the goods are dispatched for export until they are loaded onto the vessel in Rotterdam that subsequently leaves the EU. In such cases, you will meet the deadlines for pre-departure declaration, and it is sufficient to submit the export declaration and wait for the goods to be released for export by Swedish Customs before the transport of the goods may begin.