Air Cargo Customs Declaration System Coming: Aviation Declaration Form Goes Digital

Air Cargo Customs Declaration System Coming: Aviation Declaration Form Goes Digital

The Ministry of Trade has launched the Air Cargo Customs Declaration System, referred to as ACDS, with the aim of carrying out procedures related to aircraft arriving in and departing from the customs territory of the Republic of Turkey in a faster, more traceable, and more controlled manner. Through the ACDS, the Aviation Declaration Form set out in Annex 10/E of the Customs Regulation, along with its supporting documents, will be submitted electronically to the customs administration and approved through the system.

The operation of the new system has been detailed in the published circular. Accordingly, the ACDS enables the creation of flight records, the electronic registration of aviation declarations, and the digital tracking of goods transported by air.

Who will submit the declaration in the ACDS?

The Aviation Declaration Form and its attachments may be entered into the system by the airline operator, the captain of the aircraft, or ground handling organizations acting on their behalf. Documents such as fuel receipts, catering delivery notes, and cargo manifests may also be uploaded to the system by other relevant organizations, provided that the necessary authorization has been granted.

How will the flight registration and declaration process work?

Under the new arrangement, for aircraft arriving from or departing to abroad, a flight record containing the basic information relating to the flight will first be created and a provisional registration number will be assigned. The Aviation Declaration Form will then be completed and saved through the system. Once all documents have been completed in the required format, the aviation declaration will be submitted to customs and a registration number will be assigned.

Which documents will be uploaded to the system?

The declaration will be completed by uploading flight-related documents to the system, including the crew list, passenger list where applicable, cargo manifest, catering delivery note, fuel receipt, catering return list, and lists relating to goods for duty-free sale.

How will control and approval be carried out?

The customs administration will review the Aviation Declaration Form and its attachments through the system. If there are no inconsistencies between the documents and no tip-offs or suspicions exist, the approval process will be completed electronically. In the event of an inconsistency, tip-off, or suspicion, the aircraft may be subject to additional inspection and a detailed search may be carried out if necessary.

Is the era of paper documents coming to an end?

As a general rule, there will no longer be a requirement to submit wet-signed documents separately to customs. However, in the event of a Ministry-side system access issue that cannot be resolved within 30 minutes, procedures may temporarily be carried out on paper, and the information must be entered into the system within 24 hours after the issue is resolved. Additionally, declarations for state aircraft, military aircraft, private aircraft using general aviation terminals, and air taxis may continue to be prepared on paper.

When does it enter into force?

The circular states that the regulations will enter into force on March 2, 2026. It is also noted that officer and operator user guides for the system will be accessible through the ACDS.