EV Imports: A Specialty in Itself – And That’s What Makes It So Fascinating

At the bustling docks of the Port of Rotterdam, a ship loaded with cars has just arrived. Thousands of vehicles – sometimes brand new, sometimes used – from all kinds of origins. For an outsider, it’s an impressive scene of global trade in motion, but for customs professionals, this marks the start of a complex and highly coordinated operation. Because behind every car import lies a world of regulations, inspections, calculations and tight deadlines. 

1375 Cars, One Ship: A Logistical and Administrative Challenge

Recently, we had a great example of how challenging and versatile this work can be. A total of 1,375 vehicles arrived on a single vessel — an impressive volume not only for the terminal tasked with unloading them, but also for the customs team responsible for clearing every unit. As soon as the RoRo terminal had unloaded the vehicles and they were positioned on the quay, the clearance process could begin. 

What many don’t realise is that for such imports, we don’t only file import declarations for the vehicles themselves, but also for accessories such as the charging cables. That means double the attention and double the checks. It’s a reminder that in customs, volume is only one part of the challenge — precision is what makes the process work. 

Document Control: Chinese Electric Cars Under Strict Supervision

When importing electric vehicles with China (CN) as their country of origin, the process becomes even more specific. These declarations automatically fall under Document Control by Customs, especially to verify the correct application of the compensatory duty (anti-dumping measure). 

The lead time for these types of declarations depends entirely on the speed at which Customs authorities can process these checks. In the case of our 1375 cars, this takes quite some time: nearly two weeks. In these cases, Customs authorities often provided digital approval via email to release the vehicles from the terminal, while the official TTWs (Permission to Remove) and UTBs (Payment Invitations) would follow later. 

Good news: Customs has indicated that this process should, in the future, be completed within two days. Previously, this process was highly manual, requiring step-by-step administrative actions. Automation and process optimisation are now well underway. 

The Customs Challenge: Time Pressure and Attention to Detail

How? Through years of development and investment in innovative CustomsTech solutions and seamless integration with customer systems. Our advanced digital automation solutions ensure swift, accurate, and error-free processing, guaranteeing 100% compliance every time. 

At Customs Support, we make sure your customs and trade compliance data is processed quickly, securely, and accurately – no matter where the information comes from.
With flexible connectivity to any operational system, Intelligent Document Processing, and automated data enrichment via EDI, API, and AI, we effortlessly extract the required data from systems, transport, and trade documents. 

From large-volume data entry to live customs track & trace, compliance checks, and tailored dashboards – we provide the tools and expertise for flawless, efficient, and fully compliant customs handling. 

Example:
An electric car from China with a purchase value of €25,000

👉 The cost price increases by over 78% due to import duties and taxes.

How Customs Can Impact The Costs of Imported Cars

Let us illustrate with another two recent examples why it’s crucial to pay great detail to your customs imports.

• A used SUV from the US: On paper, the vehicle appeared to be five years old, but a mistake in the registration certificate suggested it was younger. This made a difference of several thousand euros in BPM. Thanks to the sharp eye of our customs specialist, the correct age was established – and an incorrect tax charge was avoided.
• A container with used cars from Dubai: During a physical inspection, one vehicle was found with less than 100 kilometers on the odometer – still wrapped in protective plastic on the seats. Our vigilance prevented this car from being wrongly declared as ‘used.’ And prevented our customer from a penalty of non-compliance.

The Charm of Complexity

It’s precisely the combination of legislation, time pressure, international trade, and physical logistics that makes car importation one of the most exciting parts of the customs profession. It requires sharp attention, accuracy, and constant communication – with clients, with colleagues, and with Customs. 

And that’s why we love it.
Where others see complexity, we see challenge.
So challenge us on what we don’t know how to clear! 

Contact us — our specialists are ready to assist you.