Experience of using the common transit procedure in Ukraine

On 1 October 2022, Ukraine acceded to the Convention on the Common Transit Procedure and started the international application of the NCTS electronic transit system.

Ukraine’s accession to the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure and the introduction of a new computerised transit system was a significant step towards the integration of Ukrainian customs into the European space. This, in turn, opens up new opportunities for Ukrainian businesses, simplifies international transport and increases the competitiveness of Ukrainian goods on the global market.

The indicators of the use of the above procedure indicate the following: over 2 years, almost 120 thousand declarations (including about 5 thousand internal transit operations) were issued in the NCTS. At the same time, over the past year, compared to the figures as of 1 October 2023, the number of declarations issued has increased by 3.7 times. Over the past two years, the State Customs Service has registered 137 general and almost 10,000 individual guarantees in the NCTS guarantee management system (source: State Customs Service of Ukraine).

Despite certain difficulties, the experience of its application in Ukraine shows positive results. This computerised system is at the heart of the European Union’s customs IT systems and is one of those that must be implemented in Ukraine to join the EU. In April of this year, Ukraine was among the first countries in the Convention to switch to the updated version of the system – NCTS Phase 5.

It is worth noting that the Convention on the Common Transit Procedure regulates the following list of special transit simplifications:

• General warranty;
• Exemption from warranty;
• Authorised shipper;
• Authorised consignee;
• Independent application of special type seals.