Dutch Customs and Schiphol cargo unveils ‘VENUE’

Dutch Customs has teamed up with the Schiphol cargo community to launch a new simplified e-commerce declaration called VENUE

VENUE has been designed to help shippers import and export items that are being purchased via e-commerce platforms – such as fashion, personal care and homeware – throughout the Union Customs Code transition period, which ends in January 2021.

VENUE-authorised shippers are able to submit a pre-declaration leaving out one or more particulars, such as the Harmonised System (HS) code, and with goods valued at EUR22 or less requiring no supplementary declaration.

VENUE has significant advantages because generating HS codes can be time consuming and this innovative solution will keep cargo moving smoothly through Amsterdam, while simultaneously maintaining efficient and reliable Customs clearance processes. Particulars are provided to Customs in a supplementary declaration of a periodic nature, reducing administrative time and costs for both Customs and the authorisation holder.

“The rise in e-commerce is changing the supply chain and last year we saw an increase of 15% in Customs declarations, even though the volumes at Amsterdam remained stable,” said Alex (A.J.) Drost, AEO Auditor at Dutch Customs.

The VENUE declaration will be available until Q3 2019.