Customs Services in the Port of Hamburg

Freeport becoming European Customs seaport

The creation of one European domestic market means that the Freeport, which for 125 years has contributed to the development of Hamburg as an international cargo hub, has become meaningless. Two-thirds of goods are meanwhile traded free of duty within the European Union. Moreover, the goods are only seldom stored in the port for a long period, the idea being that they should leave it again as soon as possible.

The Hamburg Senate has accordingly requested the German government to lift the free trade zone, currently covering 23 percent of the area of the Port of Hamburg, in its entirety. The German Lower House agreed in November 2010 to do so. From 1 January 2013, all companies in the port will therefore be working on the basis of the same Customs regulations as a European Customs seaport of the kind that already applies in other ports. As traffic and Customs procedures become faster and more flexible with the abolition of Customs frontiers, this will strengthen the port.