Belgian Customs AES Outage May Impact Export Shipments Through Belgium

Crane Worldwide Logistics is actively monitoring an ongoing disruption affecting Belgium's Automated Export System (AES), the platform used to process export customs declarations. According to notifications issued by customs technology providers and customs intermediaries connected to Belgian Customs systems, export declarations are currently being submitted but are not being processed through the AES platform due to a system outage. One customs software provider, Customs4trade, has classified Belgium as experiencing a "major outage" and stated that declarations are being received but cannot currently be processed by Belgian Customs. 

The issue appears to be limited to Belgium's AES export platform. There is currently no indication that Belgium's import declaration systems are affected. Belgian Customs continues to maintain published emergency and business continuity procedures that allow export activities to continue during system disruptions, albeit through more manual and potentially slower processes. 

Potential Impacts

The outage may affect:

• Export declarations
• Customs release notifications
• Transit-related customs messaging
• Other export customs activities dependent on AES processing

To support the continued movement of goods, contingency procedures remain available for urgent shipments. Belgian Customs' published emergency procedures allow operators to continue export activities during technical disruptions while customs systems are unavailable.

Current Status

At the time of publication, we have not identified any significant impact to customer shipments. Our customs and operations teams remain in close contact with local stakeholders and are monitoring developments across Belgium's customs network.

Belgium is currently undergoing a broader modernization of its customs infrastructure, including the implementation of AES as part of the European Union's Union Customs Code (UCC) modernization program. AES serves as the digital platform for export and exit formalities across EU member states.

How Crane Worldwide Logistics Is Responding

Our teams are actively:

• Monitoring updates from Belgian Customs service providers and customs authorities
• Utilizing available contingency procedures where required
• Working to minimize disruptions to customer shipments
• Assessing shipment-specific impacts on a case-by-case basis

We will continue to provide updates should the situation persist or if any material impact to customer supply chains is identified. For questions regarding specific shipments, please contact your Crane Worldwide Logistics representative.