DMS: Simpler, faster, safer

The topic keeps on coming back from every side, and it is still not 100% clear to me how a customs declaration is going to look in the future with the distinction into data groups and elements instead of SAD boxes. Also, the timelines have been confusing and up for change over the course of the last couple of months.

- New and changed data requirements

- Traders must make a choice between the procedures they follow and how to file their declarations

- The mindset has to change when we look into globalisation, where we had the monthly globalisation period, this has now changed to a day.

There will be a lot more data to provide to customs authorities that declarants are not used to providing today. This will require internal readjustment of the ERP systems that they are having in order to ensure that the data is provided, but also properly split up.

Our solution, including data model, has been built on the UCC standards from the start, and those standards are the ones that we use for other country connections. That's why we were able to adjust to the DMS (data) requirements in a very agile way.

There is indeed a history with the deadlines being pushed back regularly. Until communicated differently, the deadline is still the same, so everyone should be 100% prepared and not hoping/relying on a delay again.

There are a lot of similarities between both transition from AGS to DMS and CHIEF to CDS. The data model and thus data elements are both based on the UCC, so are extremely similar apart from some small local differences.

Dutch customs published a table including all elements needed for each separate type of declaration. In here you will see that in some declarations instead of having around 20 to 30 boxes to be filled out, now it could be that around 90-100 data elements have to be filled out. Bear in mind that this is not all new data, it is just that certain boxes have been split up and just a couple of new elements have been added. 

We have created a checklist to prepare for DMS that you can download on this page, so we would advise checking that one as a reference to get prepared.  DMS Checklist

There is indeed a new SAD explanatory document, in which it's being explained how the completion of the Single Administrative Document is changing. We would recommend following an additional training from the overarching organisations or investigate which external organisation is giving these kinds of trainings. It's important to know that the 'translation' from the SAD boxes to data elements needs to be made. As soon as this is clear, it becomes a lot easier to file a declaration.