# Smart Corridors Instead of Paperwork: Five Countries Connect Their Customs Data **Category:** Industry News | **Source:** TradeMark Africa | **Published:** 2026-09-10 | **Updated:** 2026-09-12 **Tags:** Zolldaten, südliches Afrika, Smart Corridors, Malawi, Mosambik, Südafrika, Sambia, Simbabwe, Strassentransport, Zollabwicklung, Vorabfertigung, Grenzübergang, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Seefracht, LKW Transport, Zoll > Five countries in southern Africa are planning direct customs data exchange. Freight data is to be available at the border before truck arrival. --- The customs administrations of Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe want to interconnect their computer systems. At the end of August 2026, they adopted a joint roadmap and action plan for this purpose. A direct data exchange between customs authorities is planned. The abbreviation C2C is used for this. It stands for "Customs-to-Customs", meaning customs authority to customs authority. The idea behind it is simple: information about cargo, shipper, consignee, and transport should not only arrive at the border together with the truck. The authority in the next country should receive the data beforehand. This allows it to conduct a risk analysis and prepare inconspicuous shipments for faster clearance. For transporters, this can mean fewer document checks, shorter waiting times, and more predictable transit times. Especially on routes with multiple border crossings, every delay adds up. A few hours per border quickly becomes a whole day on a long tour. However, the so-called Smart Corridor is still a goal and not yet a finished system. First, important transport corridors are to be selected. After that, data fields, security rules, legal frameworks, and technical interfaces must be coordinated. The project is not entirely new. Zambia already exchanges customs data with Malawi and Zimbabwe. These existing connections are to serve as the foundation for a larger regional network. The comparison with Europe is generally apt. The European import control system ICS2 requires data prior to arrival for goods entering the common security area. This allows customs authorities to identify risks early. However, the African initiative is not yet at the same stage and initially focuses on data exchange between neighboring customs administrations. Switzerland is also undergoing customs clearance renewal with Passar. Passar 1.0 for transit and export has been implemented. Passar 2.0 for imports is in the pilot phase. Although the DaziT program ends at the end of 2026, the digital transformation at the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security continues. --- For us, such data exchange only brings an advantage when the systems run stably and the data is transmitted on time and completely. A digital registration with missing or incorrect information can stop a truck just as much as a missing document. Freight forwarders and customs agents should therefore check who transmits the data and who is responsible for its accuracy. Clear reference numbers are also important so that a shipment can be clearly identified in all participating countries. During the introduction, parallel procedures must also be anticipated. Some borders could already operate digitally, while at other crossing points printouts continue to be required. Drivers should therefore not rush off without documents. In short: The roadmap is an important step. However, reduced waiting times will only come when the political agreement becomes a reliably functioning system. --- Participating countries are Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The meeting took place from August 24-26, 2026 in Pretoria. The joint roadmap and action plan were adopted on August 26. The host was the South African Revenue Service (SARS). TradeMark Africa organized the meeting. The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) participated. A customs-to-customs data exchange between the authorities is planned. The data will enable risk analysis and pre-clearance before goods arrival. Zambia already has operational connections with Malawi and Zimbabwe. No specific start date for the entire network was announced. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [South Africa](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/za) - [Malawi](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/mw) - [Mozambique](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/mz) - [Zambia](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/zm) - [Zimbabwe](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/zw) ### Glossary - [Export](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/export) - [Customs Declaration](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-declaration) - [DaziT](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/dazit) - [Import](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/import) - [Consignee](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/consignee) - [border crossing](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/border-crossing) - [Shipment](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/shipment) - [Shipper](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/shipper-2) - [Road transport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/road-transport) - [Supply Chain](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/supply-chain) - [Goods](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/goods) - [Customs duty](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-duty) - [Customs clearance](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-clearance-5) - [Action Plan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/action-plan) - [Arrival](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/arrival) - [Transit procedure](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/transit-procedure) - [border crossing](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/border-crossing-2) - [Customs authorities](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-authorities) - [Passar](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/passar) - [Pre-arrival processing](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/pre-arrival-processing) - [Risk analysis](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/risk-analysis) - [ICS2](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/ics2) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/smart-corridors-statt-papierstapel-fuenf-laender-verbinden-ihre-zolldaten-20260910060447](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/smart-corridors-statt-papierstapel-fuenf-laender-verbinden-ihre-zolldaten-20260910060447)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/smart-corridors-statt-papierstapel-fuenf-laender-verbinden-ihre-zolldaten-20260910060447](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/smart-corridors-statt-papierstapel-fuenf-laender-verbinden-ihre-zolldaten-20260910060447)*