Frequently asked questions

The ABD is an accompanying document for exports from the EU. It accompanies the goods to the customs office of exit and is the precondition for the VAT-free supply to third countries.

Generally where the goods value exceeds €1,000 or the weight exceeds 1,000 kg for exports to third countries; transport costs count towards the value. Up to that threshold, an oral export declaration is often sufficient. We recommend an ABD from a goods value of 750 euros. Parcel carriers such as FedEx, UPS or DHL have their own value thresholds for shipments without an ABD, often at €750. Goods that are exported only temporarily and come back need proof of export regardless of their value. For your consignment you can check online whether you need an ABD.

The exit confirmation (Ausgangsvermerk) electronically confirms that your goods have left the EU. You need it as proof of export for VAT. It only arrives once the customs office of exit has confirmed the exit; there is no fixed deadline. For export declarations you create with us, you receive the exit confirmation by email as soon as it is available. More in the article Exit confirmation.

The MRN (Movement Reference Number) is the number under which your export declaration is held in the customs system. You do not have to apply for it: ATLAS assigns it automatically once the declaration has been accepted. Give the MRN to your carrier so that the exit is recorded at the border. More in the article MRN number.

Yes. With Smart Zoll you create the export declaration yourself in our online portal, even without a customer account. Our customs experts review it and submit it to customs via ATLAS. You usually receive the acceptance confirmation in under an hour and, for requests submitted by 11:00, the ABD by email on the next business day as a rule. A declaration costs €30 plus VAT, including one tariff position.

You usually receive the acceptance confirmation within an hour. The ABD follows by the next business day after we receive your complete data, for requests submitted by 11:00. Process slip for rush orders within 1 hr, authorised exporters within 5 min.

Yes. Within 1 hr you receive the process slip and can drive to customs yourself with the slip and the goods.

Sender data including EORI number and location of the goods. Consignee data with full address, goods description, statistical commodity code (HS code), value, quantity, packaging, Incoterms, and mode of transport.

The responsible office is the customs office of export for the place where the exporter is established, or where the goods are packed or loaded. You do not have to look it up yourself: our customs software determines the responsible customs office of export automatically. To look it up, our customs office search shows it with address and opening hours. How it differs from the customs office of exit is explained in customs office of export vs. office of exit.

What matters is that the goods leave the EU and their exit is confirmed. If there is no exit confirmation 90 days after release for export, the customs office of export asks where the goods are. You then have 60 days to reply. Without an exit confirmation or accepted alternative proof, the export operation is declared invalid after 150 days. We explain the deadlines in detail in the article Exit confirmation.

Usually not. The goods can stay where they are packed or loaded, usually in your warehouse (presentation outside the customs office). The application for this is submitted together with the export declaration. The goods must be available for a possible inspection during the declared period, and transport only starts once the ABD is available. More in the article Presentation and customs inspection.

Cancellations and corrections are currently handled by our team; this is not yet possible in the online portal itself. Call us on +49 211 54226970 or write to info@smart-zoll.de. Please give us the MRN of the declaration if possible.

Not via our portal — we need your EORI number for the declaration. An EORI number is free of charge and, since 1 October 2026, has to be applied for via the Zoll-Portal, the German customs portal. Our article Applying for an EORI number explains how it works.

Not at the moment. Our service is aimed exclusively at businesses, i.e. traders within the meaning of § 14 of the German Civil Code (BGB). This is set out in our terms and conditions.

€30 per declaration including one tariff position. Each additional tariff position costs €5. All prices plus VAT. Enterprise pricing on request.

You first receive an individual invoice per ABD. A consolidated monthly invoice covering all processed declarations is available from 15 ABDs per month or by arrangement. Payment is by invoice and bank transfer within 14 days.

Whether an inspection takes place is up to the customs office and cannot be planned. If customs inspects at your site, i.e. outside the customs office, a fee is charged under the German customs fee regulation (Zollkostenverordnung). The fee depends on the time spent and in practice is usually between 70 and 200 euros. It comes on top of the cost of the export declaration. More in the article Presentation and customs inspection.

A status granted by the customs authority that permits simplified export procedures — such as issuing the ABD in-house. We support you through the approval process.

Yes. Transmission is TLS-encrypted and your data is used solely for customs processing. See the privacy policy for details.

Yes. You create the export declaration for shipments to Switzerland with us online yourself, and our customs experts review it. We also advise on proof of origin and import duties. See our Switzerland export page for details.

Yes. You create the EU-side export declaration for the UK with us online yourself, and our customs experts review it. We also advise on EU–UK preferential origin for 0% duty.