The European Union introduced new extended security information requirements for parcels at the beginning of last month, which apply to shipments coming from outside the EU.
In practice, the situation has led to packages being held up for periods of as much as several weeks due to incomplete customs information.
"A security information notice must be given for shipments of goods from outside the EU. Transport companies, that means airlines, have also become strongly involved in this process," Posti customs process expert Minna Kovanen explained.
The safety information notice must go through the entire supply chain, from the post office of the package's country of origin, through transport companies, to the post office of the recipient country. If the information does not reach all parties in the supply chain, and the security information reporting process is not successful, customs clearance by the addressee of the package will also not be successful.
"There have been disruptions in information transmission all over the EU. These have also been identified in Posti's OmaPosti digital customs clearance. We are carrying out corrective measures several times a day and aim to release shipments as soon as possible," Kovanen said.
Try again later
There have been hundreds of packages delayed by reporting issues since the beginning of October, Finland's mail carrier Posti stated. However, most shipments have been delivered to the recipient after only slight delays, the firm added.
"If customs clearance is not successful through the Finnish Custom's online customs service, you should try again throughout the day. Our corrective measures should help quite quickly, by the next day at the latest," Kovanen advised.
The transmission of sufficient, and correct, information through the transport chain depends largely on operators in the country of origin of the package, but the role of transport companies is also important.
"The situation now mainly concerns a number of certain types of shipments delivered by air, for which these updated security information notifications must be issued. Some operators in this part of the transport chain are finding this challenging, which unfortunately we at customs cannot do anything about," says Chief Inspector Nadja Painokallio of Finnish Customs.
Posti says that if customers are expecting a parcel from outside the EU, they can track its journey in Posti’s item tracking. Customers will also receive a message when their parcel is ready for customs declaration.
If Posti cannot complete the information and the item needs to be returned, Posti advises contacting the sender about canceling the order or resending the item.
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