In international trade an exporter will sell goods without paying taxes and VAT in their country, while an importer will only agree to settle VAT and taxes once the goods have entered their warehouse. Between these two locations, goods are not in free circulation and can only be transported under customs supervision, like a tax-free shop on wheels. This is done under a procedure known as customs transit which secures the customs debt should the goods disappear on route or never make it to their destination.
SGS has developed a unique multinational full e-service for transit called TransitNet. Our solution allows you to easily manage your customs transit requirements without having to buy software, apply for a customs guarantee or have an in-house customs expert. TransitNet is a multimodal service covering transit declarations for road, rail, Ro-Ro and barge transportation.
Additional services
CHED/Traces
To comply with a new EU commission regulation on which imposes on shippers a duty of sending pre-notifications for goods which are subject to phytosanitary control once entering the EU from third countries, SGS has introduced a new service line for clients called CHED pre-notifications. Such pre-notifications are created in external system known as TRACES, to enable proper Import clearance procedure.
ICS (ENS):
For any trucks that will enter the EU via France and Ireland, a separate ICS/ENS declaration is required to be submitted to the French and Irish ICS systems. TransitNet has developed a connection to both ICS systems, allowing yo to submit your transits to the NCTS system and your ICS/ENS declarations to the French and Irish ICS systems at the click of a button.
GVMS
TransitNet is connected to the UK’s Goods Vehicle Movements System, meaning that once a transit has been submitted and processed by the local NCTS system, the customs declarations will automatically be registered on GVMS and a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) will be provided via TransitNet.
French Smart Border System (SI):
All movements to and from the EU via France need to be registered in the French Smart Border System. SGS will do this on your behalf, taking away another layer of complexity.
Netherlands Portbase/Belgian Port Systems:
Transits that start from or transit through the ports in Rotterdam and Belgium will need a pre-notification sent to the local port system. SGS, on your behalf, can generate and submit the necessary notification to the Portbase system in Rotterdam port and the port systems in the Belgian ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge.
SGS’s Customs Services:
SGS also offers a range of customs services, including software for self-service clients to make import, export and excise declarations and a full customs brokerage service, through which we will handle the customs procedures for you. Our eGTA customs software interfaces with TransitNet, allowing TransitNet to import the data from a previously created export declaration from eGTA for reuse in a transit in TransitNet.
CHEDD/Traces
To comply with the new regulation of EU Commission which imposes on shippers a duty of sending pre-notifications for goods which are subject to phytosanitary control once entering the EU from third countries, SGS introduced a new service line for clients called CHED pre-notifications. Such pre-notifications are created in external system known as TRACES, to enable proper Import clearance procedure.
ICS (ENS):
For any trucks that will enter the EU via France and Ireland, a separate ICS/ENS declaration is required to be submitted to the French and Irish ICS systems. TransitNet has developed a connection to both ICS systems allowing users to submit their transits to the NCTS system and their ICS/ENS declarations to the French and Irish ICS systems at the click of a button.
GVMS
TransitNet is connected to the UK’s Goods Vehicle Movements System, meaning that once a transit has been submitted and processed by the local NCTS system, the customs declarations will automatically be registered on GVMS and a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) will be provided via TransitNet.
French Smart Border System (SI):
All movements to and from the EU via France need to be registered in the French Smart Border System. SGS offers to do this on behalf of their clients taking away another layer of complexity from their clients.
Netherlands Portbase/Belgian Port Systems:
Transits that start from or transit through the ports in Rotterdam and Belgium will need a pre-notification sent to the local port system. TransitNet is connected to the Portbase system in Rotterdam port and the port systems in the Belgian ports including Antwerp and Zeebrugge allowing these messages to be generated on behalf of our clients
SGS’ Customs Services:
SGS also offers a range of customs services including software for self-service clients to make import, Export and excise declarations or a full customs brokerage service where SGS will handle the customs procedures for you. SGS’ eGTA customs software interfaces with TransitNet allowing users of TransitNet to import the data of a previously created Export declaration from eGTA for reuse in a transit in TransitNet.
Support & contractor network
SGS acts as the holder of procedure for all transit movements submitted via TransitNet. This means that if there are ever any discrepancies, customs will contact SGS. This benefits both you and customs as we remove the hassle for you, and customs deals with an experienced, well established and trustworthy operator. As an SGS TransitNet client, you can avail yourself of 24/7 support for all matters connected to your transit declarations created in the system. Our team of over 300 customs and logistics experts are available to troubleshoot and advise no matter how big or small the topic.
SGS e-Customs by the numbers
1,000,000+
Transit declarations per year
25
Countries covered
14,000+
Satisfied clients
850+ mln €
Guarantee amount
Elevate your business with TransitNet
- Reduced costs: no costs for guarantees, software or external partners
- Increased level of compliance
- Use of only one system as a single window in 25 countries
- Dedicated TransitNet customer service
- Lean customs processes through customs simplifications
Why choose SGS?
The world of customs services can be complicated and frustrating. SGS’s e–Customs expertise and coverage is very practical, serving a range of large and small clients, which includes transporters, forwarders, exporters and importers. SGS e-Customs takes the complexity and the frustration away from their clients, offering them a single window system to complete customs procedures.
Brokerage Services
SGS clients benefit from a whole suite of customs related services, such as export, import, representation, VAT services, certificate of origin and fiscal representation in several EU states. Services can be bundled or standalone. Clients can use our tool as SaaS or with the support of our declarants. SGS brokerage services in the Netherlands and Belgium are offered via our AEO certified affiliates.
Transit – Multinational Coverage Customs Guarantees
SGS clients can submit transit declarations from 25 NCTS and non-NCTS countries through a single application. Clients do not need their own customs guarantees; this is all provided by SGS. Our multilingual application embeds all national rules, enabling clients to create their transit declarations themselves and monitor them from departure to termination. SGS TransitNet is an authorised consignor and AEO certified in several countries. We offer additional services to support outbound journeys.
24/7 support
Clients of SGS can avail themselves of 24/7 support for all matters connected to their e-Customs services related declarations. Our team of over 300 customs and logistics experts is available to troubleshoot and advise, no matter how big or small the topic may be.
SGS e-Customs references
Michael Donnelly
Brexit and Customs Manager
We have been working with SGS since the start of the year and they have helped us greatly in the Brexit transition. More recently we have tried their Landbridge package which they operate in cooperation with Eurotunnel. The service was first class and it made the whole process much smoother than it had been before. The package really has every angle covered. We will definitely be using the Landbridge package with SGS and Eurotunnel going forward to ensure our trucks make it to their destination without delay.
Paul Jukes
Managing Director, Agro Merchants Whitchurch, UK
We have found SGS very professional in their approach, ensuring we have a robust solution for the export of goods from the UK. SGS have been able to make a very complicated requirement, simple and easy to administer with fantastic turnaround times. Their tiered approach to management- starting with brokerage right up to full automation, made it easy for us to facilitate the change. This affords us the opportunity to scale up to an integrated system in stages that reflect time and capability
Eduard Diaciuc
General Director
As a producer and exporter of alcohol to many different parts of the world with well-established partnerships with reliable transporters, we needed a solution for our transit needs. We found it in SGS TransitNet. They took away the complexities of transit from us which enabled us to continue to concentrate on keeping the supply chain moving. If any other exporters are looking for an efficient, reliable and internationally recognized company to take care of their transit needs, look no further than TransitNet.
Randy Lozekoot
Team leader Customer Service Security
Becoming a client of SGS TransitNet has been one of the best decisions we have ever made. They make the whole process so simple and are always available to support us in our customs needs. Whether it is a container from the Port of Rotterdam or a truck from Turkey, we simply send them the documents and they take care of the rest. Efficient and reliable, we will continue to use SGS TransitNet for our customs transit needs.
Zarko Matin
Director of International Road Transport Department
In addition to the ease of use of the application, one of the main reasons we chose SGS TransitNet is because we always know that they have the resources available to fulfill our requests. As part of our business, we carry out movements on behalf of Phillip Morris and the guarantee involved can be quite high but we have never had an issue with SGS being able to provide the financial resources for our transit movements. Efficient, reliable, trustworthy and professional, we do not hesitate to recommend SGS TransitNet for your transit needs.
Our clients
