Customs portal

Errors may occasionally occur during registration.

If the page is displayed with an unexpected error, please proceed as follows:

• Take a screenshot of the error page including the reference code and URL.
• Send the photo and the date and time of the error by email to the Customs Service Desk (Service Desk Zoll).

We will then contact you to have the error corrected.

Please also check your spam folder, in rare cases the delivery of the email may take a few hours.
If you have entered an incorrect email address and still have the registration page open, re-enter your correct email address.

If you have already closed the window, please restart the registration process with the correct email address.
Your existing account with the wrong email address will be automatically deleted after two days.

If the information transmitted by the login option (e.g. ELSTER) does not match the data in your commercial register entry (e.g. company name or business address), this may result in the registration process being cancelled.

Please have the details changed directly at your (competent) tax office. These changes are then automatically updated in the registration process at the Customs Portal. The transmission of the data may take a few days.

If you have used ELSTER for the registration process and you receive an error message, please contact the Customs Service Desk (Service Desk Zoll). Please take a screenshot of the error message. Please also state the time (date and time) and which browser you used. If possible, also take a screenshot of the page on which the ELSTER data was displayed.

You can also save your new login option in your account at a later date. To do this, for instance log in with your email and password and enter the login option you wish to use in future to log in.

To clearly identify yourself, you need ELSTER or the online ID card to log in to the customs portal. Unique identification is not possible with the "email & password" login, so you can only use some services that have lower security requirements.
With email & password, it is above all possible to store a new login option or to delete your account in the portal.

To be able to use ELSTER, you need an account at www.elster.de.

The online ID function must be activated for the German identity card (or electronic residence permit). You can do this when you pick up your ID card at the Bürgeramt (residents’ office), at a Bürgerterminal (residents’ terminal) or online. You can find more information about the German online ID card on the ID card portal (personalausweisportal.de).

For security reasons, there are different access requirements for the various customs services.
If you do not log in using the corresponding option, you will not be able to use some services and not all processes and messages will be displayed.

Here you can find more information on the login options.

The person who registers the business customer account automatically becomes the main user. Additional users with different authorisations (including additional main users) can be added to this account at any time.

A main user has the following rights:

• change company data in the customs portal
• add, block, unblock or remove users
• assign or revoke authorisations for services to other users
• delete business customer account

Each user requires their own login option. With ELSTER, a separate ELSTER account must be used, which is issued to the company.

If you wanted to create a business customer account but accidentally selected “Add user” during the registration process, you can simply delete this account together with the login option and create a new account with the type “Business customer account”.

Here you can find more information on the login options.

You will receive an email when there is a new message in the customs portal or a new notification can be retrieved.
Your email address will also be used to process your data.

With your user account, you are assigned to an existing business customer account in the customs portal. You therefore need the access data for one of your company's ELSTER accounts. Do not use your personal ELSTER account, you can only use it to create a citizen account in the customs portal.

Further information can be found at www.elster.de.

Customs use a binding specification of legal forms and registers types. The tax office data transmitted by ELSTER may differ from this and will be converted to the legal form or register type used by customs. The deviating data is only saved in the customs portal account, the data saved at the tax office is not changed.

Examples of changes to the legal form:

• “GmbH & Co. KG” (limited liability company & limited partnership) will be changed to “KG” (limited partnership),
• “Nichtrechtsfähige Stiftung des Privatrechts” (unincorporated foundation under private law) will be changed to “sonstige” (other),
• a sole proprietorship that is entered in the commercial register will be changed to “e.K.” (registered merchant) and
• “GR” (Register of Cooperatives) will be changed to “GnR” (also an abbreviation for Register of Cooperatives).

Branches, premises and technical departments of companies cannot create an account in the portal as they do not constitute a legal entity and therefore cannot possess tax debtor status. Only the legally independent company as a whole or the head office can register.

In order to clearly identify you, we require an online ID (identity card, electronic residence permit) with the address stored, otherwise the registration process will be aborted.
Please use a login option in which an address is stored or, if possible, have your address entered for the online ID card.

In addition to the ELSTER login option (for companies and private individuals) or your online ID (for private individuals), you also need a valid EORI number and must have agreed to the retrieval of notifications digitally in the portal.

Errors may occasionally occur during the log-in process. Please try to log in again.
If the error occurs again, please take a screenshot of the page with the displayed reference code and URL. Send the photo and the specific login time (date and time) by email to the Customs Service Desk (Service Desk Zoll).
We will then contact you to have the error corrected.

We will inform you of the exact reason for your account being blocked by email. For example, you may have entered your password incorrectly several times. Here you can reset your password.

If you have a user account for a business customer account, a main user can block this account. In this case, please contact the main users to unblock your account.

If you are unable to unblock your account yourself, please contact the Customs Service Desk (Service Desk Zoll).

If you have forgotten your password, you can reset your password.

If you have any further questions, please use our contact options.