How will the Automated Import System (AIS) impact your business?

Customs agents

From Monday, 23 November 2020 at 9:00am AIS replaced the Automated Entry Processing (AEP) which was used for import.

If you lodge customs import declarations using your own software, you should ensure:

your customs software is upgraded so you can lodge import declarations using AIS
and
your staff are familiar with the following:
- content and structure changes of the new declaration
- new message types
  and
- new formats for existing messages.

The examples below show how customs agents should manage their customs formalities after the launch of AIS on Monday, 23 November 2020 at 9:00am.

Example 1

An importer purchases goods from the USA. The importer employs a customs agent to manage all transport and customs formalities. The goods are due to arrive in Ireland on 5 December 2020.

Customs import declaration

This is lodged by the customs agent in AIS on 4 December 2020 in advance of the arrival of the goods.

AIS will validate this declaration and a Master Reference Number (MRN) will issue electronically to the customs agent. The customs agent forwards this MRN to the carrier.

On arrival of the goods into Ireland the declaration will be accepted, and the customs and tax charges become payable.

Once these are paid by the customs agent or by the importer, the goods are released.
Example 2

An importer purchases goods from the USA. The goods will be initially stored in a temporary storage facility in Dublin. They employ the services of a customs agent to manage all transport and customs formalities.

The following declarations must be lodged in AIS:

Presentation Notification (PN) and Temporary Storage Declaration (TSD)

The carrier lodges a combined PN an TSD message in AIS. This will inform the customs authorities that the goods are available for inspection and that they are entering a temporary storage facility.

On acceptance of this message the carrier will receive a Master Reference Number (MRN) for this combined message. A copy of this combined message and its MRN should be provided to the temporary storage operator.

Customs Import declaration

When the goods are to be released from temporary storage (within 90 days) the customs agent lodges a customs declaration. The customs declaration must reference the PN and TSD MRN.

On arrival of the goods into Ireland the declaration will be accepted, and the customs and tax charges become payable.

Once these are paid by the customs agent or by the importer, the goods are released.