BİLGE (BİLgisayarlı Gümrük Etkinlikleri, Computerised Customs Activities) is the automation system through which the Turkish customs administration carries out all operations, from the goods' entry into the customs area until their exit, electronically and in real time. It started as a pilot in 1998; today summary declarations, customs declarations, transit (NCTS) and assessment operations run on the BİLGE Customs Platform of the Ministry of Trade (Ticaret Bakanlığı).
What does BİLGE cover?
BİLGE is not a single program but an infrastructure made up of modules that link all customs operations together. Before an import consignment reaches customs, it enters the system with the summary declaration filed by the carrier, is placed under a procedure with the declaration and leaves the system with the release permit. The main modules are:
- Summary declaration: Notifies the arrival or departure of the means of transport and the cargo at customs. Details are in the entry on the summary declaration at customs.
- Customs declaration: The declaration for procedures such as import, export, customs warehousing and inward processing. The types are explained in the entry What is a customs declaration?
- Transit (NCTS): Common and national transit declarations; details are in the entry on BİLGE NCTS.
- Risk analysis: Determines which control channel the declaration goes to; the concepts of the red, yellow and green channel come from here.
- Assessment and payment: Calculation and collection of duties and taxes.
How did the system develop?
The pilot application of BİLGE began in Istanbul in 1998; with the roll-out project between 2000 and 2002 it was extended to all customs offices. In the early period, declarations were entered from data entry rooms in customs buildings; later it became possible for companies to send declarations from their own offices via EDI and the internet. When Türkiye became a party to the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure on 1 December 2012, NCTS was added to the system. In recent years the Ministry of Trade has been moving the modules to the web-based BİLGE Customs Platform; NCTS Phase 5 also went live on this platform on 17 November 2024. The steps for logging in to the platform are explained in the entry on logging in to the NCTS BİLGE portal.
Who uses BİLGE?
| User | What do they do in the system? |
|---|---|
| Customs broker | Prepares and submits declarations on behalf of the obligor |
| Importer and exporter | Manages its EORI registration, monitors its declarations, carries out some operations itself |
| Carrier and agent | Files summary declarations and transit declarations |
| Bonded warehouse and temporary storage operator | Records goods entries and exits and stock records |
| Customs officer | Carries out document checks, inspections and approvals |
How does a declaration progress in BİLGE?
- The broker or obligor enters the declaration data into the system or sends it electronically from its software.
- The system validates the data, registers the declaration and assigns a number.
- Risk analysis routes the declaration to a control channel.
- If necessary, a document check or physical inspection is carried out.
- Duties and taxes are assessed and paid.
- Release of the goods is permitted; the operation is closed in the system.
Why is it important?
Thanks to BİLGE, the same data is entered once and carried from the summary declaration to the declaration and from there to the release permit. This reduces lost paperwork and manual re-typing errors. Through risk analysis, the customs administration focuses its control resources on suspicious operations, and low-risk declarations pass more quickly. Companies can also follow electronically what stage their goods are at. For example, an export declaration routed to the green channel can be closed without waiting for a document check or inspection; for an import declaration that falls into the red channel, the inspection appointment and its result are also followed through the system, and in the meantime the broker does not need to carry papers around the customs building. Since every item of data entered in the system is the basis for audits, a wrong GTİP (Turkish HS/tariff code) or value declaration has consequences that are difficult to correct later.
How does Voltim Global help with this?
In its digital customs service, Voltim Global follows the e-declaration steps; declaration processes are carried out through contracted customs brokers under the customs brokerage service.