Customs automation

Customs declaration software: AI that does the preparation work

You keep working in Softpak DMS, AEB or DTV Douane. Alex reads the commercial invoice, the B/L and the CMR, assigns the HS code, fills in the party details, prepares T1 and MRN, and stages the declaration in your DMS. You review and submit. The licensed-declarant responsibility stays with you.

DMS / NCTS5 / ICS2 Softpak · AEB · DTV AEO certified Audit trail per declaration
60%
less prep time per declaration
4x
throughput per specialist per day
99%
HS code suggestion accuracy
0
DMS migration required
Book a 45-min demo → Read the AI customs broker guide

Customs software – the NL landscape in 2026

In the Netherlands most customs declarations run through DMS (Declaration Management System), with NCTS5 for transit and ICS2 for inbound air and sea freight. The software market has four main vendors: Softpak DMS (FENEX favourite, strong in NL), AEB ASSIST4 (DACH and enterprise, broad compliance coverage), DTV Douane (legacy player, popular with smaller brokers) and Descartes Customs (international, enterprise). Beyond those there are industry-specific packages and direct login to the Dutch Customs portal for low-volume users.

All of these packages are solid as filing systems. What they don't do is the preparation work: you still have to open the commercial invoice, read the B/L, look up the HS code, calculate the customs value, retype the party details. That's where Logentic steps in.

What Alex prepares per declaration

HS code suggestion
Derived from the product description on the commercial invoice + EU TARIC. Candidates with duty-rate differences are surfaced when confidence is low — you decide.
Customs value & parties
Invoice value, freight, insurance and the EORI numbers of declarant, importer and exporter — linked automatically.
T1 / transit
Route, offices of departure and destination, guarantee reference, surety. The MRN is fed back into your TMS after submission.
Origin & certificates
EUR.1 declarations, ATR, Certificates of Origin — read and linked to the shipment. Preferential origin claims are pre-filled where applicable.

Why AI works better here than OCR

Classic OCR reads text off a document — but it doesn't understand what a T1 is or how TARIC fields interact. A product description like "Stainless steel fasteners M6x20 DIN 933" can map to multiple HS codes depending on the alloy. Alex combines document understanding with the EU TARIC logic and your own historical declarations — and escalates cleanly when confidence is low. More in our AI vs. OCR in logistics explainer and the full AI customs broker guide.

You remain the licensed declarant

This is not outsourcing of your customs responsibility. Alex prepares, you review and submit through your DMS. Every declaration has a complete audit trail: which source documents, which HS code decision, which valuation method, which checks ran. That trail is exportable to Dutch Customs for sample inspections or an AEO audit.

Related

The declaration sits in a chain: first a booking email and a B/L or CMR, then the customs preparation and filing, then the Portbase notification and track & trace. Background reading: what a Bill of Lading is, Incoterms 2020, what a freight forwarder does.

Frequently asked questions

Does Logentic replace my DMS?

No. You keep working in Softpak, AEB, DTV or Descartes and you remain the licensed declarant. Logentic prepares and writes the data into your DMS.

How does Alex assign the HS code?

Product description from the commercial invoice + EU TARIC + your historical declarations. When confidence is low Alex escalates to your specialist with the candidate codes and duty-rate delta.

Does it work for T1 (transit) and MRN?

Yes — including NCTS5 and ICS2. The MRN is fed back to your TMS after submission.

Which DMS packages are supported?

Softpak DMS, AEB ASSIST4, DTV Douane and Descartes Customs — via API or file exchange. Other packages: custom connector.

Is it AEO and GDPR compliant?

Yes. AEO certified, processing inside the EU, DPA per customer, audit trail per declaration.

See a real declaration being prepared

We show Alex preparing a T1 or import declaration from your actual documents — and what's left for you to review and submit.

Book a free demo →