Customs Single Window/CERTEX

Overview

The Customs Single Window/CERTEX is designed to provide a more efficient release of certain goods at the European Union (EU) border. This is achieved by the sharing of data electronically between government agencies.

In Ireland, the relevant government agencies are:

• Revenue
• the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)
• the Health Service Executive (HSE)
• and
• the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Customs Single Window/CERTEX is in operation in Ireland since 2015. The latest phase of the Single Window was implemented on 28 February 2023.

Who benefits from this latest phase of the Customs Single Window/CERTEX?

Those businesses who import goods that require any of the following certificates:

• Common Health Entry Document (CHED)
• Certificate of Inspection for Organic Conformity (COI).

What changes were introduced?

This phase introduced the matching of the following data declared on the customs import declaration, and the related CHED and COI:

• Certificate reference number
• CN code (up to the first 8 digits)
• Net mass or supplementary units.

Further details on how the system works is available in Customs Single Window/CERTEX.

Will there be further certificates and licences added?

The next phase will see the addition of further domains, as follows:

• Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)
• Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (FGas)
• Import of cultural goods
• and
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

Note

This page will be updated with additional information as we approach the implementation date for each phase of the SW.

Further information

If you have specific questions, you can contact any of the following emails with ‘Single Window/CERTEX’ included in the subject line:

Revenue: ecustoms@revenue.ie
DAFM:      importcontrols@agriculture.gov.ie
HSE:         importcontroldublin@hse.ie
                importcontrolrosslare@hse.ie

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): fgases@epa.ie