GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026

EDI Standard EDIFACT

Customs authorities, freight forwarders, shipping lines, and shippers worldwide rely on EDIFACT to exchange customs declarations, bills of lading, packing lists, and commercial invoices automatically and accurately.

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Last updated: 26 June 2026Published: 22 November 2025

Source: https://www.unece.org/trade/uncefact/introducing-unefact/standardsproducts/edi-standards.html

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Passar Hub: Everything on the new Swiss customs system

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Definition & Explanation

Customs authorities, freight forwarders, shipping lines, and shippers worldwide rely on EDIFACT to exchange customs declarations, bills of lading, packing lists, and commercial invoices automatically and accurately. EDIFACT – Electronic Data Interchange For Administration, Commerce and Transport – is a syntax standard for the structured, machine-readable exchange of business data, maintained by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and E-Business (UN/CEFACT). It defines standardised message types such as INVOIC for invoices or CUSCAR for customs cargo reports, which different IT systems can interpret without bespoke mapping agreements. The standard is particularly prevalent in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and international maritime shipping. It should not be confused with a specific interface solution: EDIFACT is the underlying data format standard, while EDI interfaces describe the technical implementations built on top of it.

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Current 2026

Passar Hub: Everything on the new Swiss customs system

Passar 2.0: import pilot with pre-registration

Passar 1.0Passar 2.0Passar 3.0

Passar Hub →Declar Info

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