For road transport, the obligation to file an ENS in ICS2 began on 1 April 2025; from 1 September 2025 ICS2 has been fully operational in all EU Member States, and the temporary derogations ended on 1 June 2026. Every consignment entering the EU should have a valid ENS.
Contents
The ICS2 deadlines for road transport are often summarised with a single date — 1 September 2025 — which leads to mistakes. The official timeline is broader and has several stages.
The timeline according to the European Commission
- 1 April 2025 — road and rail carriers must provide ENS data before the goods arrive. Operators that were not ready that day could ask their National Service Desk, by 1 March 2025, for a deployment window (Commission, 3 February 2025).
- 1 September 2025 — ICS2 is fully operational in all Member States for all means of transport, and ICS1 is phased out. Some Member States (and the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland) asked for temporary extensions of the deadline, mainly to ease the transition for small businesses (Commission, 29 August 2025).
- 1 June 2026 — according to the Commission, the end of the temporary derogations for NCTS Phase 6 and its link with ENS filing in ICS2: from that date consignments entering the EU should have a valid ENS, filed either directly in ICS2 or within the combined transit declaration in NCTS Phase 6 in countries that offer that option (Commission, ICS2).
Who files the ENS in road transport
The obligation rests on road and rail carriers, as well as postal and express operators using those modes and other parties such as logistics providers. In certain circumstances the final consignee established in the EU may file the ENS. For road movements the ENS is, as a rule, to be lodged at the latest one hour before arrival at the first point of entry into the EU (Article 108 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446). A practical guide for hauliers: ICS2 Release 3 and road transport.
How to read this operationally
Treat ICS2 as an established requirement, not an announcement. Check that your carrier, operator or representative has an active, compliant process for filing security data, and that you give them complete, accurate information about the consignment. If the ENS is filed within the transit declaration, make sure the country of entry offers that option. More in ICS2 and NCTS-P6 in 2026 and ENS declaration — when it is required.
A missing or incorrect ENS risks the goods being stopped at the EU border and not cleared (what happens if you don't file an ENS).
What to watch out for
- Do not simplify the message to "mandatory from 1 September 2025" — the obligation for road transport started on 1 April 2025.
- Do not base your interpretation on industry sources without confirming it in European Commission announcements.
- ICS2 concerns entry into the EU. The security filing for Great Britain is a separate system (Safety and Security GB with HMRC) — see Safety and Security GB or ICS2.
Unsure who has to file the ENS, and when, in your supply chain? Get in touch.
Official sources
- European Commission — ICS2 extends to rail and road transportation from April 2025
- European Commission — limited temporary derogations for ICS2 Release 3
- European Commission — ICS2 official overview
Frequently asked questions
Since when has ICS2 applied to road transport?
Since 1 April 2025, road and rail carriers have had to provide ENS data before goods arrive in the EU. Operators that were not ready could request a deployment window by 1 March 2025.
What changed on 1 September 2025?
From that date ICS2 has been fully operational in all Member States for all means of transport, and ICS1 is phased out. Some Member States asked for temporary derogations, mainly to ease the transition for small businesses.
What changed on 1 June 2026?
According to the European Commission, the temporary derogations ended. From that date consignments entering the EU should have a valid ENS, filed either directly in ICS2 or within the combined NCTS Phase 6 transit declaration in countries that offer that option.
Who files the ENS in road transport?
Primarily the road or rail carrier, but also postal and express operators and other parties such as logistics providers. In certain circumstances the final consignee established in the EU may file it.
Is the ENS for the United Kingdom also ICS2?
No. ICS2 applies to entry into the EU. For Great Britain you file a Safety and Security GB declaration in HMRC's systems.
What happens if there is no valid ENS?
According to the European Commission, the goods may be stopped at the EU border and not be cleared if the requirements are not met on time.
Related guides
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