1. Electronic summary customs declaration for rail freight traffic with RailControl
November 2010

2. Objectives Harmonisation of the summary declaration format
More efficient risk analyses and customs assessments
Less disruption to rail freight traffic
Guarantee of a comprehensive border customs declaration
Simplification of data collection for rail transit statistics
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic

3. Overview; current vs. past situation
Today
One player and customs contact for international rail traffic (state enterprise)
Rail liberalisation; several players, largely organised under private law (open access)
In practice, all rail traffic is automatically in customs transit procedure (cooperation procedure – simplified community transit procedure)
No guarantee of a comprehensive customs declaration at the border
Uniform paper procedure
Customs declaration in various procedures
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic

4. Background Customs Act of 18 March 2005
Art. 24 Presentation to customs and summary declaration
1 The person subject to the delivery obligation, or the person mandated by him/her, must present the goods conveyed to the customs office and make a summary declaration.
2 Presentation consists in informing the Customs Administration that the goods are at the customs office or at another location authorised by the Customs Administration.
3 Presented goods are in the custody of the Customs Administration.
4 The Customs Administration can stipulate the format for presentation to customs and the summary declaration.
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic

5. Summary declaration Customs Ordinance of 1 November 2006
Art. 125 Summary declaration by railway undertakings in freight traffic
(Art. 44, para. 1 CA)
1 The railway undertaking must submit a summary declaration for the goods in the electronic system of the infrastructure operator [SBB Infrastructure] before they are brought into or out of the customs territory.
2 The data must be provided free of charge in the form (network access conditions) published by the infrastructure operator [SBB Infrastructure].
3 The infrastructure operator must immediately forward the summary declaration to the Customs Administration in the specified form.
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic

6. Procedure
Summary customs declaration is submitted by RU to SBB Infrastructure (CIS-Infra) at same time as operational train declaration, supplemented by additional merchandise and shipping-related customs data;
SBB Infrastructure sends data to customs database;
Customs carry out risk analyses, selections, customs assessments, statistical evaluations.
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic

7. Review First information event with RUs spring 2009
Various bilateral discussions with RUs
Second information event with RUs spring 2010
Comments from Community of European Railways (CER)
Pilot operation with SBB Cargo AG July 2010
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic

8. Further course of action
Pilot phase up to end of 2010
Ongoing implementation of findings from pilot phase
Gradual introduction from 1 January 2011
NCTS interface detailed specifications / preliminary analysis from 2012
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic

9. Contacts
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Mr. Philipp Thomi, Tel. 031/ , project manager
Mr. Bernhard Spahr, Tel. 031/ , rail operations
Mr. Roman Schwegler,
Tel. 031/ , transit procedure
Electronic summary customs declaration for rail traffic