ICS2 Road & Rail: From 1 September 2025, ENS is Mandatory in These EU Member States (No Derogations)

What’s new: The EU’s Import Control System 2 (ICS2) moves fully into road and rail. From 1 September 2025, several Member States will require a complete Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) in ICS2 for all goods entering by truck or train—including postal consignments—with no national derogation in place. If you’re a UK shipper, haulier, forwarder or postal operator routing via these countries, you must be ready to file in ICS2 (or, where allowed, embed the safety & security data in an NCTS Phase 6 transit) before arrival.

The quick take

• Scope: Road and rail movements into/through the EU now fall under ICS2 Release 3 (ENS before arrival).
• Key dates: Deployment window runs 1 Apr 2025 → 1 Sep 2025; after that, mandatory use applies.
• No-derogation countries: The table below lists the Member States that did not request a derogation—and how you must file there from 1 Sep 2025.
• Timing rules: If using ICS2 ENS, file ≥1 hour before road arrival and ≥2 hours before rail arrival (where ENS timing applies).

Where ENS in ICS2 becomes mandatory from 1 September 2025 (no derogations)

The following Member States did not request a derogation for ICS2 road/rail and (where applicable) for NCTS Phase 6 “opt-in”. The table also shows whether NCTS-P6 is opt-in (transit can carry the safety & security data to ICS2) or opt-out (you must use ICS2 ENS).

Important operational notes (for the countries above):

• Where a Member State is opt-out, ENS must be lodged in ICS2 exclusively from 01/09/2025; use of NCTS-P5 ends 31/08/2025.
• Postal consignments by road/rail also require ENS in ICS2 from 01/09/2025.

Use of ICS (legacy), NCTS-P5 or any other IT system to lodge the ENS in these countries is not allowed.

What UK traders and carriers should do now

1. Check your routes for 1 Sep 2025 onward. If your EU entry border is in a no-derogation Member State listed above, plan to file ENS in ICS2 (or, if the member state is opt-in, you may embed the safety & security dataset in an NCTS-P6 transit lodged within the ENS time limits).
2. Mind the clocks. Where ENS timing applies, file ≥1 hour before road arrival and ≥2 hours before rail arrival.
3. Pick a filing route:
   • System-to-system via the Shared Trader Interface (STI), or
   • Portal filing via the Shared Trader Portal (STP) in the EU Customs Trader Portal (EUCTP). You’ll need an EORI and EU login (UUM&DS).

Context: ICS2 Release 3 & NCTS Phase 6—how they fit together

• ICS2 Release 3 extends ENS to road and rail with a deployment window from 1 Apr → 1 Sep 2025, after which it becomes mandatory to lodge ENS for these modes.
• NCTS Phase 6 (P6) runs on a similar window (1 Mar → 1 Sep 2025) and fully implements the latest safety & security data set. Opt-in countries can forward the ENS particulars from NCTS-P6 to ICS2; opt-out countries require a separate ICS2 ENS.
• Waiver mechanics: A Member State may waive a separate ENS if a customs or temporary storage declaration containing ENS particulars is lodged within the ENS time limits (1h road / 2h rail).

For a broader overview of ICS2’s aims and the road/rail go-live communications, see the European Commission’s ICS2 hub and announcements.

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