Transporting goods
When transporting goods to and from the EU, there are some things you need to know. It relates to ensuring proper customs handling.
Pre-departure and pre-arrival declarations
Goods entering or leaving the EU should be declared in advance. The purpose is to protect the EU from dangerous goods and comply with the increased security standards of global trade. For imports, the transporter is responsible for the pre-departure declaration, whereas for exports, the declarant is responsible for the pre-arrival declaration.
Pre-departure declarations for imported goods (in Swedish).
Pre-arrival declarations for exported goods (in Swedish)
Presentation notification of means of transport and goods
When a means of transport arrives, its goods should be presented to Swedish Customs. When goods arrive by air or sea, the means of transport should also be presented. The procedure currently depends on the means of transport.
Transport by road between Sweden and Norway
To facilitate trade between Sweden and Norway, there is a unique treaty that allows the transport undertaking to stop at only one customs clearance office to conclude their customs procedures. When crossing the border carrying commercial goods, this has to take place at an open customs clearance office. At all other border crossings, it is forbidden to transport commercial goods unless you have applied for and received a so-called traffic authorisation from Customs.
Transport by road between Sweden and Norway
Vessels
Vessels entering Sweden's customs territory should declare their arrival and departure. The ship’s captain is responsible for providing the required information. Swedish Customs has a dedicated office for processing naval vessels.
By air
A declaration of arrival of goods must be submitted for non-EU goods arriving by air directly from a non-EU country. The declaration is submitted digitally via a system message to Swedish Customs.
By rail
For goods arriving by rail, either an advance customs declaration or a transit declaration must be lodged.
Read more about rail transport.
Designated locations
Goods brought into the customs territory of the Union shall be transported to a customs office designated or any other place designated or approved by the customs authority.
In the future, the declaration should be digitally submitted to Swedish Customs before arrival for all means of transport. The transport undertaking should also present the goods to a customs authority. This means that the entity responsible for transporting the goods, for example a shipping company, air carrier or any other transport undertaking should inform a customs office, or an alternative designate location, that the goods have arrived.
Future changes to reporting the arrival of means of transports and goods.
Transit movements
Transit is a customs procedure that facilitates the transport of goods across borders and through territories without paying customs duty and VAT.
Customs status of the goods
The customs status of your goods is determined by whether they are Union or non-Union goods. In some cases, the status of your goods must be certified. A common way to prove Union status when transporting goods is by using T2L/T2LF.
More information about Union status.
ATA Carnet
An ATA Carnet can be used for temporary exports of, for example, professional equipment, exhibition goods and samples.
Find out more about the ATA Carnet from the website of the Swedish Chambers of Commerce.
Provisioning of vessels or aircraft
Provisioning refers to when goods are loaded onto vessels or aircraft to be consumed by the crew or passengers.
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