Dutch Customs and the cargo community at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol have partnered to introduce a simplified declaration procedure for e-commerce shipments.

According to Schiphol, the new process, called VENUE, has been designed to help shippers import and export smaller items purchased online, such as fashion, personal care and homeware, throughout the Union Customs Code transition period, ending in January 2021.

“Together with Dutch Customs we are engaged in cooperating with stakeholders at the airport to find new ways of working which can further improve efficiencies,” said Saskia van Pelt, business development director at Schiphol Cargo. “The air cargo market is changing and we are seeing a huge increase in e-commerce parcels. At Schiphol we are focused on ensuring we continue to provide a high-quality, efficient service for our e-commerce customers and VENUE will help us to do just that.”

Authorized shippers can leave out particulars such as the Harmonised System code when they submit a pre-declaration. No supplementary declaration is required for items with a value of less than €22 (US$24.7).

VENUE will be available until the third quarter of 2019, according to Schiphol.