German Companies to Export Paperless via Rotterdam

From now on, German companies can export paperless via Rotterdam. After submitting an export declaration to the German Customs, it is no longer necessary for the carrier to take any paper documents with them. That has been agreed between the German and Dutch Customs, Rotterdam port Authority said in a release.

For the Rotterdam container terminals (ECT Delta Terminal, Euromax Terminal Rotterdam, ECT City Terminal, APM Terminals Rotterdam and Uniport), this paper had already been unnecessary for some time. The only thing an exporter still has to do is to provide prenotification to Portbase, the Port Community System of the Dutch ports.

Banning paper for exports from Germany also dovetails perfectly with the opening, this autumn, of two new container terminals on Maasvlakte 2: Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) and APM Terminals Maasvlakte II (APM Terminals MVII), the Authority said.

For both, it is compulsory to provide electronic prenotification for Customs documents, cargo and modes of transport via Portbase. Only then is it possible to deliver or collect containers.

The Authority added that neither RWG nor APM Terminals MVII will be setting up terminal desks any more. That means it is also physically impossible to submit export accompanying documents on paper.