Cyprus businesses must switch Customs links to CY Connect by October 30

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus businesses using direct electronic links with Customs have until October 30 to migrate to CY Connect, when the Message Gateway for Union Customs Code Business-to-Government services will be permanently switched off. The deadline was announced by the Customs department and the Department of Information Technology Services.

Migration deadline

The deadline follows an earlier extension intended to give companies more time to complete the technical changeover.

Businesses that continue to send UCC B2G messages through the existing gateway must ensure that their systems are connected to CY Connect and operational in the live production environment before the cut-off date.

Businesses affected

The change applies to economic operators whose own IT systems communicate directly with Customs, rather than businesses that simply log into an online government service.

Under the EU’s Union Customs Code, economic operators include businesses involved in activities covered by customs legislation. These may include importers, exporters, freight forwarders, customs representatives and carriers.

Electronic customs systems

Cyprus Customs already uses B2G system-to-system communication for key electronic customs operations, including the Automated Import System, Automated Export System and New Computerised Transit System.

The systems form part of the wider EU shift towards electronic customs procedures. The European Commission says the Union Customs Code, which has applied since May 2016, is intended to complete the transition to a paperless and fully electronic customs environment, with information increasingly exchanged through interconnected IT systems instead of paper procedures.

CY Connect platform

For businesses in Cyprus, the immediate issue is how their systems will connect after the Message Gateway is withdrawn.

CY Connect forms part of the government’s wider digital infrastructure and is designed to enable secure information exchange between interconnected systems. According to the government’s Digital Services Factory, the platform supports Cyprus’ “Once Only” approach to public services, allowing information already held by government systems to be exchanged through approved connections rather than repeatedly requested from citizens and businesses.