What types of documents can I pre-notify?
All types of customs documents can be pre-notified via Portbase (so export, TIR, ATA Carnets, Transit, etc.).
What if the customs declarations are not in order?
Before cargo can be imported or exported, an import or export declaration must be submitted to Customs. After this declaration has been submitted, the documents must be pre-notified at the ferry terminal or shortsea terminal via Portbase. If these formalities are not in order, the driver is not able to continue with the transport of his cargo.
There are two possibilities:
1. The driver contacts his own planner or client. He or she will have to ensure that all the required actions are performed.
2. Contact is sought with a company that is already affiliated with Portbase such as a forwarder or customs agent that can submit the notifications for them after all.
The import document that i pre-notify is not known at the terminal or is not in order. Why is that?
- Check the status of your notification. If the status is ‘rejected’ (by Portbase or terminal) or ‘failed’, then the notification has not been accepted. Resolve the error message and resend the notification.
- Check whether the correct document number, document type and container/shipment number have been entered. If this is not the case, then enter the correct information and resubmit the notification.
- Check whether you have entered the correct terminal. It sometimes happens that cargo is shifted to a different terminal last-minute. This is not automatically changed in your Notification Import Documentation.
- Check in the Portbase services Cargo Controller or Import Status whether your shipment or container has been unloaded. At some terminals, the import document only becomes available in the terminal system after the cargo has been included in the RTO (= Unloaded on the quay).
If all information is correct, there may have been a (short-term) disruption at the terminal or Portbase. Resubmit your notification.
Tip: Prior to visiting the ferry and shortsea terminals, use the service Import Status to check the presence and status of the import document before contacting the terminal or Portbase.
I cannot use a certain document type for import. Why is that?
You are not authorised to use the document type in question at the relevant terminal. Check your terminal contract for the use of the service Notification Import Documentation and adjust this in consultation with the Sales Department of Portbase.
I have missed the departure. Do the customs documents for my shipment have to be pre-notified again via Portbase?
This depends on the applicable procedures at the ferry companies. As soon as your booking number changes, a correction will be required to the pre-notification of your customs documents via Portbase.
Why am I not granted access to the terminal and how can I fix this?
1) Booking is not known at the ferry or shortsea terminal:
- Check or have checked whether the booking number is correct.
- Booking number not correct? Use Portbase to have the pre-notification of the customs documents at the terminal corrected.
- Booking number correct? Contact Portbase via servicedesk@portbase.com.
2) No customs declaration has been submitted to Customs:
- Have a customs declaration filed with Customs.
- Next, have the customs documents electronically pre-notified at the terminal via Portbase.
3) The customs documents have not been (correctly) pre-notified at the terminal via Portbase:
- Have the customs documents pre-notified electronically at the terminal via Portbase.
4) You do not have a valid proof of identity:
- Contact the consulate or embassy of your own country.
What do I have to do arrange with Customs and what with Portbase for each transport?
You submit a customs declaration at Customs to notify them of the goods that you are transporting. Before you can submit a customs declaration, you need an EORI number. This is an identification number that your company has to request from Customs once so that you are known there. After you have submitted a customs declaration, you will receive a unique number from them (e.g. Movement Reference Number (MRN)) for the submitted shipment.
You need this document number issued by Customs to pre-notify the customs documents at the terminal via Portbase. In Portbase, you link the customs data (MRN) to the required logistics data (which truck/container/trailer, terminal, times etc.). Through your pre-notification via Portbase, you ensure that all the required customs formalities are automatically arranged at the terminal. This way, your transport can be performed without delay.
How does Brexit impact the transport of plants or plant-based products?
Because of Brexit, many things are changing regarding the transport of plants and plant-based products. Visit the website of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority to learn what to expect when importing or exporting plants and plant-based products.
How does Brexit impact the transport of animals and animal products?
Because of Brexit, many things are changing regarding the transport of animals and animal products. Visit the website of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority to learn what to expect when importing or exporting animals and animal products.
How do I prevent ending up in front of a closed barrier at the terminal?
Prior to your departure, use Portbase to verify the status of your customs documents at the terminal via the service Import Status or the Track & Trace Export screen of the service Notification Export Documentation. Register for these services at www.portbase.com/en/services/import-status and www.portbase.com/en/services/notification-export-documentation/.