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Digitoll for sea transport: how it works in practice

·1624 words·8 mins

Digitoll for sea transport changes how information about vessels, cargo, and customs procedures must be submitted before goods arrive in Norway. For shipping companies, ship agents, freight forwarders, and goods owners, the key issue is not only what to send, but also when to send it, in which system, and how the messages must be linked together.

This guide explains the practical sea-freight workflow for Digitoll in Norway.

[Image placeholder: A vessel workflow showing SSNN, MO Sjø, declaration in TVINN, and automatic release on arrival in Norway.]

Important dates for sea transport
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There are two key dates for sea transport:

  • 15 September 2026: digital duty to report and provide information becomes mandatory
  • 1 March 2027: the direct transport scheme and the use of goods numbers without a declaration are discontinued

Shipping companies and their partners should be testing or using their chosen reporting process well before the first deadline.

How Digitoll and SafeSeaNet Norway work together
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Vessels carrying goods to Norway must submit vessel information digitally before arrival. In sea transport, SafeSeaNet Norway (SSNN) is the Norwegian system for mandatory vessel and port-call information.

Information relevant to Norwegian Customs can also be sent through Norwegian Customs’ sea API, MO Sjø. In addition, SSNN can send information directly to Norwegian Customs’ Digitoll system.

In practice, this means that:

  • SSNN is used for vessel and call reporting
  • MO Sjø can be used for customs-related transport and cargo messages
  • customs declarations are sent separately in TVINN or TWIST

The four duties in Digitoll for sea transport
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Sea transport in Digitoll is built around four duties.

Advance notice
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Advance notice applies to goods imported from countries outside the EU customs security area. The notification must be submitted both before loading abroad and before the means of transport arrives in the security area through ICS2.

Useful link:

Duty to report and provide information
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This duty covers notification of arrival and information about the means of transport, crew, and goods. For sea transport, the legal responsibility belongs to the master of the vessel, even if the practical submission is often handled by the shipping company.

Duty to declare
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All imported goods must be placed under a customs procedure. This is normally done by submitting a declaration in TVINN or TWIST.

Declarations can be sent up to five days before the expected arrival and must be sent to dispatch unit 441002. The declaration date should match the vessel’s planned arrival date.

Duty of presentation
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Goods must be capable of being presented for inspection if Norwegian Customs requests it. That does not mean every shipment is physically checked, but the goods must be available when needed.

Which systems are used
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Three main systems are used:

  • SSNN for vessel information and declaration of goods
  • MO Sjø for notification and information messages sent directly to Norwegian Customs
  • TVINN or TWIST for the customs declaration itself

One important detail from the course is that a declaration of goods in SSNN is not the same as a customs declaration in TVINN. The declaration in TVINN is still required in addition.

What information must be submitted
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To fulfil the duty to report and provide information, three message types are used.

Transport notification
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This message must identify the means of transport and include:

  • time and place of border crossing
  • information identifying the operator or responsible party
  • reference to the main shipment or a direct shipment

Main shipment notification
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This identifies the main shipment and the parties tied to the freight arrangement. Where several shipment agreements exist, each agreement must have its own consignment reference.

Shipment notification
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The shipment message must contain:

  • sender and recipient
  • weight, quantity, and goods description
  • reference to the main shipment
  • selected customs procedure
  • reference to the declaration, such as a TVINN declaration ID, MRN, or goods number until 1 March 2027

The course emphasizes that the messages must be linked together before the vessel arrives in Norway.

Who is usually responsible for what
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The legal and practical responsibilities are not always the same, so shipping companies should define roles clearly in advance.

A typical distribution of responsibilities is:

  • the shipping company sends the transport notification and main shipments
  • the freight forwarder or goods owner sends shipment-level information
  • the goods owner or customs representative sends the declaration

Where only one customer is involved, one party may choose to submit everything. Where a vessel carries goods for several customers, a split model is often more practical.

Four ways to handle declaration of goods in SSNN
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There are four common variants for sea transport reporting.

1. The company sends all information in SSNN
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This model suits operations where one party can handle the full data set for transport, main shipments, and shipments.

2. Direct shipment linked to transport
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This can be used when there is only one shipment from one sender to one recipient in Norway. It may be useful for some bulk cargo situations.

3. Shipping company sends transport and main shipment, freight forwarder or goods owner sends shipment
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The course suggests this will probably be the most common model. It allows the shipping company to handle vessel-level information while the cargo owner side handles detailed shipment information.

4. Shipping company sends transport only, other parties send main shipment and shipment
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This model depends on the shipping company receiving the necessary references from the parties that send the detailed cargo information.

Can you send directly to Digitoll without SSNN?
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Yes, customs-related transport and cargo information can be sent directly to Norwegian Customs through MO Sjø. However, the vessel still needs to be reported to SSNN to meet obligations toward other authorities and for items such as crew or provisions information.

What happens when the vessel arrives
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When the vessel arrives in Norway, the Norwegian Coastal Administration automatically registers the arrival in SSNN, and that information is passed to Norwegian Customs.

On arrival:

  • the goods are automatically presented for possible customs control
  • goods not selected for control can be transferred automatically to the chosen customs procedure
  • if Customs wants an inspection, the goods must be physically available

General unloading permission
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Norwegian Customs has introduced a general unloading permission for vessels, aircraft, and trains when they arrive at destination. This helps maintain flow even when the customs status of individual goods is not yet known by the unloading party.

The unloaded goods may remain for up to three calendar days while customs clearance is clarified. The course makes an important distinction here: this is not an extension of the declaration deadline. The declaration must still be submitted no later than border crossing or arrival.

Vessels with multiple Norwegian port calls
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Sea transport gets more complex when the vessel will unload in several Norwegian ports.

Before the first Norwegian port call, the company must submit information about all cargo on board. This is done by creating a declaration of goods in SSNN for the full load.

Each declaration of goods should identify:

  • which goods are carried
  • where the goods will be unloaded
  • which main shipment the goods belong to

At the first port call, detailed information about all goods on board is submitted. For later calls, a new declaration of goods is sent for the cargo to be unloaded there, using references to the relevant transport documents.

Only goods with the same unloading place as the vessel’s reported port call are automatically transferred to the selected customs procedure upon arrival.

[Image placeholder: A multi-port route showing Rotterdam, Kristiansand, Stavanger, and Bergen with separate declarations of goods for each unloading point.]

Why timing and linking matter
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The training material repeatedly stresses three things:

  • the correct information must be submitted
  • the information must be linked correctly
  • everything must be sent in the right system and at the right time

If one part of the chain is late or incorrect, automatic handling becomes harder and delays become more likely.

Temporary transition arrangements before 15 September 2026
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There is a transition period because the new SSNN does not yet support some older working methods, including pilot bookings and Excel uploads.

Temporary measures mentioned in the course include:

  • uploading attachments in the old SSNN to fulfil the duty digitally by providing manifests connected to calls
  • continuing calendar-based routines with DIGIKAL in box 44

The course says that, before the 15 September 2026 deadline, operators can either:

  • upload a PDF in the old SSNN containing the required data, including declaration reference
  • submit all information through their system directly to Norwegian Customs’ API for notification and information

Useful link:

Practical checklist for shipping companies and partners
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Before Digitoll becomes mandatory for your sea operations, check that you have:

  • decided whether SSNN, MO Sjø, or a mixed model will be used
  • agreed who sends transport, main shipment, and shipment data
  • confirmed who submits the customs declaration
  • tested how references are linked between messages
  • prepared a process for vessels with multiple Norwegian port calls
  • made sure declarations are sent to dispatch unit 441002
  • clarified how document and cargo checks will be handled on arrival
  • reviewed whether you are still relying on temporary transition measures before 15 September 2026

Useful resources
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Summary
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Digitoll for sea transport depends on good coordination between shipping companies, freight forwarders, goods owners, and customs representatives. The core task is to submit vessel, shipment, and declaration information early enough, in the correct systems, and with the right links between messages. For operators that prepare properly before 15 September 2026, the process should support smoother arrival handling and more automatic release of goods in Norway.