French Customs has announced a delay in the introduction of the Obligatory Logistics Envelope (ELO), originally scheduled for 1 April 2025. The rollout is now expected to begin in the second half of April 2025. Despite this delay, the mandatory implementation date remains unchanged at 1 September 2025.
The ELO is a digital platform created to streamline customs and logistics procedures for trucks crossing between France and the United Kingdom. Rather than managing multiple paper documents and references, drivers will now carry just a single digital barcode containing all necessary customs declarations.
This barcode will consolidate key information, including:
- Export declarations (MRN)
- Import declarations (MRN)
- Transit declarations (MRN)
- Entry Summary Declarations (ENS)
- Information about goods requiring sanitary or phytosanitary (SPS) checks, or special customs regimes such as TIR/ATA.
Who needs to use ELO?
Every truck crossing the Smart Border between France and the UK, regardless of the driver’s nationality or vehicle registration, will require an ELO barcode starting from 1 September 2025. This includes trucks travelling empty.
Who is responsible for the ELO?
Creating the ELO barcode is not the driver’s responsibility. Instead, each economic operator, typically a haulier or freight forwarder, must appoint an “ELO creator”. This person will gather all necessary customs declarations and information from logistics partners and compile them into the ELO system via French Customs’ Prodouane interface.
Drivers will only need to present the generated barcode at the border, simplifying their responsibilities and reducing time spent at customs checkpoints.
How does it work at the border?
Once a truck arrives at the border (such as ferry ports or the Eurotunnel terminal), the driver presents the single ELO barcode. Customs officials will scan this barcode, instantly linking all the required customs information to the vehicle. This automated process replaces the current manual pairing of customs declarations, significantly reducing the potential for errors and delays.
Trucks will then be directed to either a green lane (no further checks) or an orange lane (additional checks), based on risk analysis performed automatically through the ELO-linked ICS2 system.
French Customs has provided detailed guidance and support resources on their official website. For further information, please visit the official ELO page.
French Customs has already published multilingual informational materials, flyers, user guides, and online video tutorials to help businesses prepare for this change.
