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NCTSP5

Current Situation

NCTS5 ACC is currently open for testing for all software providers.

They can align with the Economic Operators (EO) who have completed the registration process and were able to register their callback address when to start the testing phase.

 

There are still some technical incidents, mostly situated in these domains:

* Write off/link with other applications (AES, IDMS, ...)

* Data transfer between customs offices (departure, destination, ...)

 

Apart from those there are still several general cross-application and legal topics to be covered.

Concerning the emergency procedure a proposition was done and is currently at BE Customs side for the approval and publication.

 

More detailed information can be found in the FAQ below

  • Where to send the registration form ?
    If your softwareprovider is doing the registration for you, you can contact them for further follow up. they will be the ones who can provide you the details concerning the callback as well. If you have to take care of the registration process yourself you can mail it to : aes.helpdesk@minfin.fed.be
  • If customs is still performing changes currently in the test-system,....how can we be sure that the versions put into production are stable ?
    We cannot unfortunately, this makes it very hard for economic operators to test.
  • What about T2L? Did we need an extra registration with ACP ?
    No B2B messages are foreseen. so interaction with your customs software is not possible. Only via the website > for that you need to assign the correct people the correct roles.
  • How does CRNSP evaluate a successful test? Is getting an MRN seen as success or have these test been validated by end-users as being in line with their expectation?
    For each stream there has been a scenario list depending on the application. AES for example had about 80 scenario's in total, also negative testing - depending on the outcome it can be MRN , 599 (exit confirmation) or others like cancellation confirmation. IDMS obviously has more scenario's due to the fact that calculations also play a larger role there. The different scenario's have been listed up together with the softwareporviders and certain economic operators.
  • What about the AES deadlines?
    CRSNP is in continuous contact with BE Customs. New dates are published here: https://financien.belgium.be/sites/default/files/Customs/Ondernemingen/Applicaties/MASP/MASP_BE_Timeframe_30August2024.pdf update 04/09/2024
  • Where can I find the error codes ?
    Depending on the type of error you should be able to find it in one of these 3 documents below. - VRE application errors - General application errors - European business rules updated on 02/07/2024
  • Where can I find the codelists?
    For Eurean codes we happily refer you to the European website where you can download those in an XSD format: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/rd/rd_download_home.jsp?Lang=en In case you want to quickly find a readable version in PDF, the Irish memberstate has made some decent documentation available here: https://www.revenue.ie/en/online-services/support/software-developers/documents/aes/aes-codelists.pdf
  • What is the transition period ?
    The transition period starts from the moment that AES is going live in production in BE and runs until the last EU member state has made the switch to AES. Currently this date is technically set to 02/01/2025 (however this can be shifted depending on the readiness of other member states). Reason is that till that time we have to stick to certain rules that apply to the country with the lowest settings. for example your description of goods will be shortened to a specific number of digits, until the transistion period is finished because one of the member states can only receive this limited number. Once everyone is transferred the number of digits will be extended to what is agreed EU wide. Same applies to certain documents that have to be mentioned on item level during transition phase and on shipment level after transition period.
  • How do we receive export confirmation (599), Cancellation decission (509) Amendment decission (506) or Risk decission (560) in test environment ?
    For all those messages a manual intervention from BE Customs is required (like in real life). If you are a CRSNP member you can send a mail with your MRN / LRN and correlation ID towards Raisha Demeester. If you are not a CRSNP member you can forward the same information to the Helpdesk who will guide your request towards the project team.
  • How can we test Risk & Control messages?
    By adding the name "Philippe" 1 uppercase / rest lowercase in the exporter name. do not use an EORI. This will make sure that your export declaration arrives in the control worklist.
  • What about the UNLO codes and types ?
    Currently we gathered the following information for AES: type A = other customs locations like quays, customs offices, customs warehouses,.. type B= always in combination with permit 4005 Type C = always in combination with permit 4006 Type D = other (should not be used for AES) updated 30/05/2024
  • What about the emergency procedure ?
    please find the documented answer by BE Customs here: (NL) https://financien.belgium.be/sites/default/files/Customs/Ondernemingen/Applicaties/Circulaires/NOODPROCEDURES_MASP_AES.pdf (FR) PROCEDURES_URGENCE_MASP_AES.pdf (belgium.be) some additional information with the emergency procedure: - 3 hour waiting time is a very long time, not acceptable to some Economic Operators. Customs acknowledges this however the intention is to let the technical team first some time to discover the root cause of the downtime. If for some reason real urgent shipments need to happen (fresh goods, living animals,..) you can contact the helpdesk earlier, with a motivation on why this is urgent, however please note that emergency procedure is only for urgent shipments set-up. - in additional reference we need to add the documenttype 1NPS - however there is only 1 field and we need to add both the emergency procedure number as well as the BCP ID. Please combine both in 1 field with a "-" in between cfr. 1VAT -BCP ID the BCP ID is a number that you will receive from the helpdesk they can provide it to you during a emergency procedure. We need to keep the MRN format so we are certain that the number of digits and the structure can be accepted in each portcommunity system. BCP ID is necessary for both inland and abroad offices of exit, in all cases you need one! To avoid an overwhelming of the helpdesk for BCP ID's in case of emergency procedure, companies with a permit might apply 1x a year for a list of BCP as a preparation of future emergency procedures. ==> this however still needs to be confirmed by the helpdesk This number needs to be mentioned on the print on top (instead of the word MRN) however the word Business Continuity procedure needs to remain on the document. The language of the print should be : EN , FR, DE , NL - preferably make sure the office of exit can read it. -CRC offices CRC Zaventem: da.crc.zaventem@minfin.fed.be CRC Bierset: da.sel.bierset@minfin.fed.be CRC Antwerpen: da.crc.antwerpen@minfin.fed.be , here also everything that use to go to CRC Gent is being handled, So CRC Gent was not forgotten in the publication. -Excel sheet to be provided currently the procedure is 1 export declaration = 1 excel an example excel will be provided soon by BE Customs - Permits on page 1 and point 5 the publication of the emergency procedure is contradictory. "buffering" and "printing on blanc pages" should no longer be required : page 1 all current permits remain in place on point 5 What about a permit "own numbering" : technically with BCP it is not an own numbering but a numbering provided by the helpdesk.
  • What about AES web ?
    The first step is onboarding Access Managers This can be done by informing the helpdesk on who is responsible for your company, by providing them the following information: Name Company BCE # CBE (Crossroads Bank for Enterprises) / CBE (Crossroads Bank for Enterprises) / BCE (Banque Carrefour des Entreprises) / KBO number of the company National Register # With this information the helpdesk can add those users so called (Access Manager) to be registered in the IAM system and are will then be able to activate their first registration with their ID. once this is done - or if your company already has an access manager - you can move on with the next steps: Next step Role assignment : The access manager is now able to assign the role "FPS FIN Customs & Excise Internal Company Designation" property "Customs formalities" to the end-user(s): TEST: https://iamapps.int.belgium.be/rma PROD: https://iamapps.belgium.be/rma The onboarding process can proceed. For Belgian users, it's important to note that they all potentially exist, as all Belgians have access to CSAM through their EID, regardless of the environment. FEDIAM takes the info from CSAM/BOSA. The access manager is required to follow below procedure when assigning roles to end-users. NL: https://www.loginhulp.be/44.php FR: https://www.aideacces.be/44.php IMPORTANT: for the first connection to the TEST (INT / ACC) environment, it is mandatory that users (access manager and end-user) use their electronic identity card (EID) to connect otherwise it risks creating a corrupt profile. In such cases, please submit a ServiceNow ticket to the helpdesk or send an email to servicedesk.dto@bosa.fgov.be to ask them to reset their TEST profile. Please be aware that all actions related to the individuals mentioned concerns to the TEST environment. Consequently, when accessing PROD, certain steps will need to be repeated. However, most companies typically already have Access Manager Role set up in PROD, so this aspect will not require duplication. Nevertheless, the role assignment by the access manager to the end-user(s) will need to be performed again, but this time in the PROD environment. Finally Access to AES web: if everything is set up, the EO can connect to the AES web application shown below. ACC: https://aes-export.acc.minfin.be PROD: https://aes-export.minfin.fgov.be
  • Are mixed shipments still possible ?
    Yes mixed shipments for example 10.00 (export) and 31.71 (from bonded warehouse) in 1 export declaration are still possible. However as soon as there is one bonded warehouse item in your declaration, you must add the 4006 permit on header level, despite it is not relevant for all items
  • Where can I find technical data, MIG, XSD?
    All technical information coming from BE Customs is published on their website: https://financien.belgium.be/nl/douane_accijnzen/ondernemingen/applicaties-da/aes/aes-export Datasets can be found here: https://financien.belgium.be/nl/douane_accijnzen/ondernemingen/douane/aangiften-kennisgeving-douanestatus/gegevenssets
  • What are the AES URL's where we need to address our B2B Communication ?
    AES ACC : https://wsapi-a.minfin.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration https://wsapi-a.minfin.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration/invalidate https://wsapi-a.minfin.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration/amend https://wsapi-a.minfin.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration/present AES PROD: https://wsapi.minfin.fgov.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration https://wsapi.minfin.fgov.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration/invalidate https://wsapi.minfin.fgov.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration/amend https://wsapi.minfin.fgov.be/AES/EXPORT/OAU/b2b/v1/declaration/present
  • You did not receive the expected message reply on your export communication, what now?
    You have send out an Export Declaration 515 but did not receive a reply. Step 1 : Did you receive a correlation ID? if yes this means your message was received by customs. > go to the next step if no, this means your message did not reach BE customs, please check your credentials and your communication. Step 2: You did not receive any functional message: if you did not receive any of those you can try receiving the last message via the pulling mechanisme. if this works it means there might be something wrong with your callback registration /set-up to receive answers automatically. (you can check this via the self-service portal, check the registration and on-boarding topic) Step 3: Did you receive any functional message via callback or pulling mechanism. in case you received a 556 functional error: solve the error and resend your export declaration. in case of release you can proceed to ask for the 599 (Exit confirmation )with manual intervention if you do not manage to identify where it went wrong gather the following information: - correlation ID - MRN / LRN - date and time of the sending as a CRNSP member you can forward this to Raisha Demeester non-CRSNP members forward this to PLDA helpdesk
  • What goods accounting systems will be written off by AES and how?
    can be tested: AES can write-off: * EMCS with code C651 refering to ARC number * TSD with code N337 with MRN number * IDMS with code NMRN refering to the Import MRN number cannot be tested yet: * NCTSP5 with code N820 or N821 refering to MRN number * PLDA with code NMRN refering to the Import G+MRN number *PLDA with code N337 for CUSCAR, CIR , Sato lyst ==> the reference is a combination depending on the type with * in between write-off / goods accounting kept by BE customs is not required for : - private customs warehouses (type U) ==> always use type NCLE - Economic operators using (EIDR) entry into the records for more information see the detailed document info added 30/05/2024
  • How will AES write-off to goods accounting work?
    In the XML there are the following fields for the previous document: typeOfPackages numberOfPackages measurementUnitAndQualifier quantity Rule EXBE025 applies to: Both normal export declarations as well as supplementary declarations that contain one of the following codes N337, N820 of N821 will trigger the write-off from NCTS or temporary storage and must be filled in. According to this information: IF /*/ExportOperation/additionalDeclarationType IN {'A', 'D', 'X', 'Y','U'} THEN FOREACH /*/GoodsShipment/GoodsItem/PreviousDocument IF ./type IN {'N337', 'N820', 'N821'} THEN ./goodsItemNumber is REQUIRED AND ./typeOfPackages is REQUIRED AND ./measurementUnitAndQualifier == 'KGM' AND ./quantity is REQUIRED AND ./quantity > 0 ENDIF ENDIF If you have goods however that did not came in via transit or temporary storage (for example created within EU) you will not have this as a previous document. The type of packages that are allowed to be used belong to Code list CL017 There is no documentation provided by customs for write-off currently. Also the question on how to handle differences in granularity have not been answered. f.e. incoming 1 pallet with 1000 pieces in (bruto weight 1015 kg) ==> outgoing 10 pallets of 100 pieces = each 115 kg --> will give a difference in that case we will need to write off 1150 kg, which is 13% more than what came in, so the document will already be closed. 1 barrel of 200 liters of chemical fluid incoming bruto weight 210 kg ==> outgoing 199 glass bottles of chemical fluids bruto weight 199 x 1,7 kg = 338,3 kg (mind the loss while filling up the bottles)
  • What about the EXS declaration? Route and EORI of transporter ?
    The AES system is designed this way to be a combination of A1 dataset (EXS) + B1 Dataset (Export with security type 2) There is no technical solution foreseen to split up both declarations yet, since EXS is still in PLDA and Export declaration is in AES. Alternative solution would be to create an NCTS declaration after your AES declaration in order to assure the transport until the border. Mind that this means that for these 2 elements the declarant is suddenly responsible ! - A1 - G.E. 16 12 000 000 Route : Declarants do not always know the route / what in case it is not correct and the goods do pass via f.e. RU. (mind the legal responsibility) - A1 - 13 12 000 000 - EORI forwarding agent : G.E. 13 12 017 000 (Identificatienummer of the forwarding agent) ==> not filing this is not giving errors in BE (currently) it does however in NL. mind that not all transporting companies have an EORI number, third country transporting countries never have an EORI number - not clear what should be done in this case. however since these additional data elements are only obliged after the transition period AES is currently making it possible to enter both: - either a declaration with Security = 0 (only B1 dataset) - or a declaration with security = 2 (B1 + A1 dataset combined) once the transition period is done you will only be in the possibility to declare: - a declaration with security = 2 (B1 + A1 dataset combined) - or 2 separate declarations 515 export (B1) + declaration 615 (A1) Mind that this last option is only possible after all exit functionalities have been moved from PLDA to AES. If that was not the case before the transition period - only the first option will be applicable for an intermediate periode of time. EXS is NOT required for exports to EU, NO, CH AES Business Guidance https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-10/AES%20Business%20Guidance_SfA_v1.02_for%20trade.pdf See page 137 info updated 04/09/2024
  • What is message (CD595C) = reception of status response ?
    Message 595 = this will be sent as an acknowledgement when there is still a manual action to be done by BE Customs. you will receive this in case of : - amendment - cancellation
  • Where can I find the printing guidelines?
    There is a print available on the AES web interface for your export declaration. However if you work B2B you can also print your own document, this also applies f.e. In case of emergency procedure, when you cannot reach AES Web.
  • B2B print: With the current PLDA-system EO could get an email with a pdf-print when a declaration was released. This often helped us when B2B-communication was not fully working (e.g. response messages not working properly).....this facilitation will be abandoned?
    Currently there is no e-mail print for B2B foreseen. The only way to receive the print is to fetch it declaration per declaration from the AES web environment.
  • What about SBA (System Based Approach)
    Companies with System Based Approach will receive the same treatment in AES as currently is in PLDA.
  • What about goods in bulk?
    Bulk and non-bulk goods may never be in the same declaration. no packaging allowed for bulkgoods (logically) - write-off will happen based on weight
  • What about the IDMS deadlines?
    CRSNP is in continuous contact with BE Customs. New dates are published here: https://financien.belgium.be/sites/default/files/Customs/Ondernemingen/Applicaties/MASP/MASP_BE_Timeframe_30August2024.pdf For IDMS the date is still on delayed - however we expect this to be early 2025 (approx. 01/02/2025)
  • Can economic operators test?
    It is technically possible to test. There are, however, some important remaks to consider before deciding whether to test at this point in time: As indicated in the above summary and the clarification of the must haves before a go-live deadline there are a lot open questions and problems. If there would be widespread testing at this point, the customs helpdesk and customer services of software providers will be flooded with questions. The registration process for the ACC environment is quite complex and time consuming. E.g. your EORI would have to be registered and accounts for payments would have to be set up seperately. The system on FOD ICT has only two environments: DEV and PROD. It is customary to set up another environment in between which can be kept somewhat stable for testing by only releasing every few weeks. This is not the case in the current test environment, where all releases from development are directly available. Concretely this means that one day you will get answer A from the system and the next it will be answer B. This is making testing very hard, even for those in constant communication with the FOD ICT team.
  • Centralised clearance import in Belgium. When is the go live and how to proceed with this ?
    Currently this is not planned before 2025
  • You use transactional import f.e. into free circulation (40-00) and e-globalisation for special customs procedures. Does that mean we will have to connect to 2 different systems (PLDA and IDMS) ?
    Yes, you will be connected to PLDA for e-glob and to IDMS for transactional communication. Softwareproviders will foresee this. However: don't forget your "old" certificates for PLDA need to remain in place as well as your "old" callback addresses. Since this will be 2 completely different paths of communication.
  • write off NCTS via 7100 IDMS H2 : on header level or on article level ?
    All write off will be on item level based on the previous document in the unit KGM or in the unit that it has been broad in originally. in case of bonded warehouse : only for Public warehouses - not for private warehouses
  • is the print also available for IDMS on IDMS web like they are for AES on AES web?
    Currently not, this also means we cannot give any input on the structure yet. But the goal is that they will also be available there.
  • What about the NCTS5 deadlines?
    CRSNP is in continuous contact with BE Customs. New dates are published here: https://financien.belgium.be/sites/default/files/Customs/Ondernemingen/Applicaties/MASP/MASP_BE_Timeframe_30August2024.pdf Mind that for NCTSP5 21/12/2024 for now is a BIG bang - the date till 21/01/2025 simply means that you can keep sending in messages into NCTSP4 to close the old messages that started in NCTSP4. update 04/09/2024
  • Where can I find the technical message specifications (MIG)?
    The MIG is published on https://financien.belgium.be/sites/default/files/Customs/Ondernemingen/Applicaties/technische-documentatie/NCTS/NCTS%20DEV%20Message%20implementation%20guide%20v0.1.9.docx This document contains a description of all the messages that will be send to and from the customs authorities. In this document several other documents are embedded e.g.: - Data mapping NCTS4 vs. NCTS5 - XSD files - Excel files with rules and conditions - Link to code lists - Instructions for the follow letter
  • Where can I find the error codes ?
    The business rules, technical rules, sequencing rules, conditions and BE rules are embedded in the MIG document
  • Where can I find the code lists?
    The code lists can be downloaded from the website of the EU: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/rd/rd_download_home.jsp?Lang=en Choose "NCTS5" as domain in the dropdownbox and download the XML file There are also some national code lists: the are published on https://financien.belgium.be/nl/douane_accijnzen/ondernemingen/applicaties-da/technische-documentatie-0/ncts/ncts-p5 -> the lists are at the very bottom of the page
  • What is the transition period?
    The transition period starts from the moment that NCTS5 is going live in production in BE and runs until the last EU member state has made the switch to NCTSP5. Currently this date is technically set to 02/01/2025 (however this can be shifted depending on the readiness of other member states). Reason is that till that time we have to stick to certain rules that apply to the country with the lowest settings. for example your description of goods will be shortened to a specific number of digits, until the transistion period is finished because one of the member states can only receive this limited number. Once everyone is transferred the number of digits will be extended to what is agreed EU wide. Same applies to certain documents that have to be mentioned on item level during transition phase and on shipment level after transition period.
  • How do we receive cancellation decision (IE009)?
    For cancellation (= invalidation) decisions you have to send an email with your question to the NCTS helpdesk (ncts.helpdesk@minfin.fed.be)
  • What about the location of the goods type ?
    For NCTS5 only location type C (approved location) in combination with identification type U (= UN Locode) can be used. In data element unlocode you have to mention the location code. Attention: the data element unlocode needs to contain the full location code known by the customs authorities. This is not a "real" 5-digit unlocode. You have to use the sames location codes as used in NCTS 4 e.g. location code for approved location, rto, ...
  • What about the emergency procedure?
    CRSNP had a meeting with all application managers and based on this meeting a proposal for the emergency procedure has been provided. We are awaiting remarks, additions and finally the approval by BE Customs. (document submitted on 17/05). Once approved details will be published here.
  • What are the URLs where we need to address our B2B Communication ?
    The URLs are published on https://financien.belgium.be/nl/douane_accijnzen/ondernemingen/applicaties-da/technische-documentatie-0/ncts/ncts-p5
  • You did not receive the expected response message on your declaration, what now?
    You have send out an NCTS Declaration but did not receive a reply. Step 1 : Did you receive a correlation ID? if yes this means your message was received by customs. > go to the next step if no, this means your message did not reach BE customs, please check your credentials and your communication. Step 2: You did not receive any functional message: if you did not receive any of those you can try receiving the last message via the pulling mechanisme. if this works it means there might be something wrong with your callback registration /set-up to receive answers automatically. (you can check this via the self-service portal, check the registration and on-boarding topic) Step 3: Did you receive any functional message via callback or pulling mechanism. in case you received a technical or functional error: solve the error and resend your export declaration. if you do not manage to identify where it went wrong gather the following information: - correlation ID - MRN / LRN - date and time of the sending as a CRNSP member you can forward this to Peggy Cole (pc@organi.be) non-CRSNP members forward this to NCTS helpdesk (ncts.helpdesk@minfin.fed.be)

Your Contactperson

Peggy Cole

pc@organi.be

PeggyCole.JPG
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