Despite its size, Switzerland is one of the top 20 ranking countries for imports and exports. Efficient digitalized customs clearance is therefore of crucial importance for the globalized Swiss economy.
In 2018, the Swiss parliament decided to commission the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) to develop an entirely new Swiss customs system Passar, based on new customs legislation and new customs procedures. In May 2024, the new transit procedures, (part of the EU’s NCTS Phase 5), successfully went into operation.
The next major step for Passar will be the complete replacement of the existing e-dec Export system by the end of 2025 and the final step, Passar Import, will replace e-dec Import by October 31, 2026. This will mean the last paper documents disappearing from Swiss Customs and the hope is that traffic jams at the border will be a thing of the past.
One of the immediate benefits to organizations is that export declarations can be modified right up until activation at the Authorized Consignor or arrival at the border at which point they become legally binding. Additionally, Passar offers companies real transparency in how their goods are moving through the customs process.
For the time being, Passar is only accessible via API but software providers in customs clearance will ensure the integration of Passar into their solutions. Passar will require new workflows so the process of integration will be more than simply passing data between technologies.
There is still a lot to do in this challenging project, but achieving these goals motivates all those involved (FOCBS, software providers, freight forwarders, customs agents and the Swiss economy) to continue investing heavily in Passar.