Questions about the new Temporary Storage Declaration (ATO)

The most important changes were explained by Dutch Customs and Portbase during an information session. You can rewatch it here:

Please note: during this session the old deadline is discussed; the correct deadline is 16 November 2026.

Below is an answer to the questions asked during this session.

What should I do when I experience a disruption?

Disruptions in the Dutch Customs process are reported by the National Helpdesk Dutch Customs and EU portals | National Helpdesk Dutch Customs (NHD). Subscribe to disruption and maintenance notifications so that you are immediately informed. When contacting Dutch Customs, you will be asked for an MRN or LRN number; you can find this in the service.

Portbase actively monitors disruptions or delays. As soon as we detect these, we report this in the web screens of the service Cargo Declaration Import. At the same time, together with Dutch Customs, we immediately investigate what the cause is.

We report disruptions within the Portbase environment on status.portbase.com. We advise you to subscribe to these notifications as well.

Are you experiencing a disruption that is not reported by the National Helpdesk Dutch Customs or on status.portbase.com? Then please contact our Customer Service department.

What should I do when the ENS is not submitted via Portbase?

Which additional data must be included in the IFTMCS file?

An overview of these data can be found on the support page. View here the complete IFTMCS specifications of the TSD (version 5.8.9).

How does the pilot phase process work for us?

For parties that do not submit the ENS via Portbase, the pilot is exactly the same. The only difference is that these parties must process the received ENS MRN in the TSD.

Permit for maintaining a regular shipping service (RSS)

Does a declarant also have to submit an ATO for Union goods?

Yes, when goods are brought in by sea, an ATO must be submitted to place the goods in temporarily storage. This also applies to Union goods.

Companies that hold a ‘Permit for maintaining a regular shipping service (RSS)’ are exempt from the obligation to submit an ATO for Union goods.

Do you use Cargo Declaration Import via Portbase to submit the ATO? Then nothing changes in the current way of working.

For the benefit of the overall Port Community System (PCS), it is crucial that the ATO data are still submitted. This is necessary for other PCS services that support automated port processes. This prevents delays in logistical handling. Portbase no longer converts the received data into an ATO for submission to Dutch Customs.

How do we indicate in Portbase that the ATO falls under a regular shipping service (RSS) permit?

Web screens: at the start of the filing, tick ‘NONE’
IFTMCS: Qualifier ACD / FTX+ACD+NONE
API: Portbase Port Visit API

The HS Code is not mandatory for Union goods arriving via a regular shipping service (RSS). How should this be handled in the IFTMCS?

In this case, the HS code does not need to be included.

Can I specify multiple discharge terminals under one B/L?

Unfortunately, this is not possible in our service Cargo Declaration Import. The B/L will have to be split into one terminal per B/L.