GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 23, 2026

Customs Brokerage Systems

When a shipment reaches customs, customs brokerage systems take over the digital management of the entire clearance workflow.

Quick Answer

Last updated: 23 June 2026Published: 19 June 2025

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customs_broker

Category

Incoterms 2020 Simulator: Who bears costs & risk?

Reading time

1 min

Words

115

Mentioned in

–

Definition & Explanation

When a shipment reaches customs, customs brokerage systems take over the digital management of the entire clearance workflow. They auto-generate customs documents from shipment and product master data, validate entries for completeness and regulatory compliance, and transmit declarations directly to national customs portals. For freight forwarders and high-volume importers, these platforms are indispensable for compressing clearance times, reducing error rates, and maintaining audit trails for compliance reviews. They connect brokers, shippers, and government systems in a continuous data flow, eliminating most manual re-keying. Unlike a general transport management system (TMS), a customs brokerage system is built specifically around border-crossing requirements – with integrated tariff databases, preference checking, and direct interfaces to official customs IT environments.

Next steps

Tools that match this term

Find HS codeDetermine the tariff number for customsOpen Calculate customs valueWork out import duties and customs valueOpen Compare IncotermsClarify duties, cost and riskOpen

Related Terms

You might also be interested in these terms

Configurable Warehouse Management System

A configurable warehouse management system (WMS) is a software platform that lets warehouse operators adjust storage layouts, pick…

Learn more

Catalog Pricing Logistics

Instead of negotiating custom pricing per shipment, many freight carriers establish standard rates for common service combinations…

Learn more

User-Defined Fields

User-defined fields (UDFs) extend standard transport and warehouse management software with data points that a specific business m…

Learn more

WMS Version Control

Distinct from generic software version control, WMS Version Control manages all modifications to a warehouse system's configuratio…

Learn more

Interface Standardization in Freight IT Systems

A freight management or logistics system cannot operate in isolation; it must communicate with customs terminals, customer portals…

Learn more

Open Standards for Reefer Asset Visibility Platforms

Open standards in cold chain logistics are vendor-neutral, publicly documented protocols and data interfaces that allow refrigerat…

Learn more

⚖️ ICC Incoterms 2020

Incoterms 2020 Simulator: Who bears costs & risk?

Analyze all 11 Incoterms 2020: cost matrix, risk timeline, insurance gap detector and customs responsibility – free, no login required.

Incoterms Simulator →

Logistics knowledge straight to your inbox

Weekly: Top news, industry facts and insights from the world of logistics – free.

Customs Brokerage Systems

Next steps

Related Terms

Configurable Warehouse Management System

Catalog Pricing Logistics

User-Defined Fields

WMS Version Control

Interface Standardization in Freight IT Systems

Open Standards for Reefer Asset Visibility Platforms

Incoterms 2020 Simulator: Who bears costs & risk?

Logistics knowledge straight to your inbox

Community Questions & Answers