An ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is an estimated time of arrival for a consignment, goods, or means of transport. It can change depending on the type of transport and current factors.

An ETD (Estimated Time of Departure) is the estimated time a shipment, goods, or vehicle will leave the departure point. It may change depending on the mode of transport and current factors.

Incoterms® are International Commercial Terms used for interpreting international trade contracts. They provide guidelines regarding the transportation of goods from the seller to the buyer. These rules also outline the allocation of costs, risks, and responsibilities between the contracting parties.

For more information on the key Incoterms® rules.

The Polish General Freight Forwarding Rules 2022 ( pol. Ogólne Polskie Warunki Spedycyjne 2022 / OPWS 2022) are a set of regulations developed by the Polish Chamber of Forwarding and Logistics (PISiL) which apply to the relationship between a principal and its forwarder. OPWS 2022 define the rights and obligations of the parties to a forwarding contract.

Full content of OPWS 2022.

The size and type of container needed for transporting cargo depend on the specifics of the cargo itself. While 20 FT and 40 FT containers are the most commonly used, they are not necessarily the best solution for every type of cargo.

If you have any doubts about the most suitable option, feel free to seek our assistance.

For more information on container types.

The Customs Office is the state authority responsible for controlling international trade in goods.

Its key tasks for the importation of goods include:

1. Receiving and checking customs declarations (customs declarations are submitted on your behalf by the Authorized Customs Representative),

2. Assigning EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) numbers, which are identifiers for traders involved in international trade,

3. Enforcing laws against illegal commercial activities (e.g., smuggling),

4. Preventing the entry of prohibited goods into the market,

5. Conducting documentary and physical inspections of vehicles, goods, and passengers to detect irregularities or threats,

6. Collecting customs duties and taxes on imported goods in accordance with applicable rates and trade preferences.

Before placing an order at the place of origin of goods, it is advisable to check and/or verify the customs code. The HS code (Harmonized System code) is used to describe goods and is part of the Unified Tariff System. It helps identify the necessary documents, tests, attestations, and certificates required for customs clearance. Verifying the customs code also enables you to determine or confirm the amount of duty that the importer will need to pay after customs clearance.

The basic commercial documents necessary for import clearance are:

• A commercial invoice, which must include information on the country of origin of the imported goods (e.g., MADE IN CHINA), the terms of delivery (Incoterms) under which the transport is carried out (e.g., FOB XIAMEN), and the currency in which the transaction is conducted.
• A translation of the commercial invoice, which should describe the imported goods so that the customs code can be correctly assigned. The translation does not have to be done by a sworn translator and can be completed by the importer.
• A packing list, which must include the gross and net weight of the cargo and the number of packages.

Please note that, depending on the imported goods and/or at the request of Customs, additional documents may be required.

One additional document that Customs may require is a CE DECLARATION, which confirms the conformity of the goods with European standards. Before ordering a shipment, it is advisable to check whether a CE declaration is required for the goods you are interested in.

ATTENTION: A customs agency cannot verify the requirement for such documents, as compliance with standards is governed by separate institutions, not Customs and Excise. However, the experience of our customs agents can often help in obtaining this information, and we can assist if necessary.

The commercial documents necessary for customs clearance should be submitted to the forwarder as early as possible, but no later than the day before the ETA. Please note that once the commercial documents have been verified, they may need to be supplemented and/or corrected, so it is important to address this well in advance.

Failure to provide the documents within the required timeframe may result in the impossibility of customs clearance, leading to additional demurrage, detention, and storage costs.

The purchasing party should receive all necessary commercial documents for customs clearance from the seller of the goods.

Holding a container, whether at the port or after it has been retrieved from the container terminal, can incur additional charges. Therefore, obtaining cargo release by the shipper well in advance and preparing the required set of documents allows the customs clearance procedures to be prepared and carried out in time to avoid additional costs.

Failure to complete the documents and/or release the cargo by the shipper may result in container downtime, which may incur additional costs. The extent of these costs depends on the service on which the transport was carried out. Charges associated with container demurrage are:

• DEMURRAGE – the detention of the container in the port (days counted from the moment of discharge until the container is taken from the port), shipowner’s cost.
• DETENTION – holding the container after retrieval from the terminal (days counted from the moment of taking the cargo from the port until the container is deposited at the depot indicated by the container owner), shipowner’s cost.
• STORAGE – storage at the terminal, applies to both containers and general cargo (counted from the day a container is unloaded or general cargo is deposited in a temporary storage until the day the cargo is picked up).

Sometimes, DEMURRAGE and DETENTION occur as a combined value, called COMBINED. In such cases, the free days provided by the container owner are counted from the day the container is unloaded from the ship until the empty container is deposited at the depot indicated by the container owner.

It is worth noting that the number of STORAGE free days may differ from the number of DEMURRAGE free days.

The amount of charges depends on the tariff of the shipowner with whom the transport was carried out.

The importer, at the request of Customs and/or the Rapid Response Group, is obliged to make the cargo (both containerized and LCL cargo) available for inspection as directed by the service. The most common requests during import customs clearance include additional document checks, container scanning, and partial or total searches.

Additionally, depending on the type of cargo being imported, it may be necessary to notify relevant authorities for inspection, such as the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (Sanepid), the Provincial Inspectorate for Trade Quality of Agricultural and Food Products (WIJHARS), the Provincial Inspectorate for Plant and Seed Protection (WIORiN), or the Chief Veterinary Inspectorate, in order to proceed with customs clearance.

Costs associated with inspections and any stoppages of containers or cargo are the responsibility of the importer or exporter, depending on the Incoterm governing the transport.

Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the cargo is released and all necessary documents are prepared well in advance.

We provide comprehensive forwarding services and are therefore happy to handle customs clearance on your behalf. In this case, it will be necessary to send the appropriate authorizations to our customs agency. Please ensure that the signature on the authorizations for the AC is consistent with the information on company representation provided in the KRS. Additionally, the signature must be legible and include your first and last name. If possible, please also stamp it with your company seal.

If you are already working with a customs agency, there is no need to switch; you can complete customs formalities with the agency of your choice. Remember to send all the necessary documents to your customs agency well in advance to avoid additional costs, such as container demurrage. Please note that when you handle customs clearance with your own customs agency, we do not have full control over the process. Therefore, you must provide us with the relevant information once customs clearance is complete, along with the SAD.

The SAD, or Single Administrative Document, is a universal customs document used during customs clearance formalities. It is applicable to all types of goods imported from outside the EU. Its purpose is to unify and streamline customs procedures and statistics. The most important information contained on the SAD includes:

• Identification information for the exporter and importer of the goods,
• Details related to the cargo being cleared (including the customs code),
• The value of the goods and any other charges related to the transaction (e.g., transport costs),
• Customs rates.

Cargo release is based on the presentation of one of the following documents:

• Original Bills of Lading (OBL),
• Telex Release (TLX),
• Sea Waybill (SWB),
• Express Bill of Lading (Express B/L).

The issuance of one of these documents, which authorizes the release of the cargo, is possible only after payment of all dues related to the transportation, including payment for the goods.