Ship to Ireland or Northern Ireland? See what’s changing for your business from 6 May 2026.
Effective January 1, 2026, import declaration for short-term transit shipments to Ireland and Northern Ireland (PDS) and T2 in the ICS2 Import Control System is required.
The ICS2 (Import Control System 2) is an EU IT system for reporting commodity data before entering the EU. The system performs a security risk analysis by evaluating real-time shipment data. Based on this, it decides whether goods can be transported or whether further inspection is necessary.
The ICS2 declaration is made by the carrier for your DHL eCommerce shipments. We'll complete all formalities for shipping to Ireland and Northern Ireland on your behalf, and you'll make sure you provide accurate and complete information about the contents of your shipment, including:
- article name in English
- 6 digit HS code of article . Check out more here
- number of articles
- article weight in kg
- value of the article in the selected currency . This is optional information, but providing it can speed up the reporting process.
The Summary Declaration form for data transfer will be made available in DHL systems on May 6th, 2026. Missing or incorrect information will prevent your shipment from being transported. Make sure you can provide DHL with the required data.
Note the precise descriptions of the goods
Please provide the exact name of the item you are shipping when describing the content. Do not provide vague, general product descriptions to avoid stoppage or even complete rejection of the shipment at the border. Here you will find a list of ‘stop words’ – words that will result in ICS2 being negatively evaluated in the PDS.
The description should focus on what the item is, not its function or purpose of shipment. The goal is for the item to be immediately recognizable by someone who is not familiar with your company or your assortment, such as a customs official.
Avoid general terms such as “accessories”, “toys”, “clothing” or “car parts”. Instead, use clear, specific product names as examples below.
Invalid Merchandise Description | Correct Merchandise Description |
accessories | plastic soap dispenser, bamboo chopping board |
toys | porcelain doll in dress, pet figure set |
Clothing | cotton men's t-shirt, satin women's dress |
automotive parts | vehicle brakes, windscreen washer fluid reservoir |
For shipments to Ireland and Northern Ireland, no customs clearance fee will be applied. An import summary declaration is not required for Return Connect shipments from Ireland.
Find out how you will pass them directly to DHL24 and DHL24 WebAPI