Beginning Friday, March 11, 2016 at 19:00 o’clock CET, Netherlands Customs will perform system updates resulting in a 47-hour downtime for the Import and Storage Systems. The servers are expected to be fully back up and running on Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 18:00 o’clock CET.

A new version of the Netherlands Customs system AGS (Aangiftesysteem) is being released to accommodate new message formats required by the World Customs Organization (WCO) data model version 3.

Since the layout for both inbound and outbound messages is changing with the release, it will not be possible to submit any import declarations during the downtime. In a press release, Netherlands Customs clarifies that messages “will not be buffered and processed after the maintenance.”

Customs furthermore specifies that, “after the maintenance, only messages in the new format will be accepted and processed.” Once the system release has been completed, Expeditors will submit declarations in the new message format.

While the fall back procedure is permitted during the interruption, it is encouraged to pro-actively plan ahead, and only revert to the manual process where absolutely necessary. The downtime does not impact Exports and NCTS, and declarations for these procedures can be submitted as usual.

Expeditors will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as they occur.  Please contact your local Expeditors office for specific questions and concerns.

The Customs press release can be accessed online at here and here

A release by the WCO regarding the new data model version 3 can be viewed here