Collecting your goods faster from Dutch terminals by having an agreement

Containers and trailers that are being unloaded in a Dutch port must be stored in a Temporary Storage Facility (TSF) in accordance with the Customs licence of the terminal. It is an obligation that applies to all ferry and container terminals in the Netherlands. The terminal as a licence holder of a TSF has the obligation to keep records upon the collection of a container or a trailer which shows:

• how the container or the trailer containing the goods is being removed, and
• which Customs declaration(s) is/are being used in the process

To comply with this Customs obligation, Dutch ferry and container terminals enter into agreements with the parties who are coming to collect containers or trailers such as customs brokers, transporters, shipbrokers or importers. The agreement stipulates that those collecting containers or trailers must digitally provide a number of data to the terminal.

Correct data, prompt handling

If you state the correct TSF document codes and document numbers in the prescribed manner, the containers or the trailers will mostly be unblocked automatically and released for further transport, which expedites the logistics flow.

Manual Notification Import Documentation Dutch ports (NID)

The way in which those collecting containers or trailers must provide the data is laid down in the Manual named: Manual Notification Import Documentation Dutch ports (NID). It is a document Dutch Customs and the business community have jointly drawn up. The manual is of assistance in stating the correct TSF document codes and numbers. In this way the containers and trailers can be collected from the ferry terminal or the container terminal without any delays.