Your access to ZGR-online via the Customs Portal

With the implementation of the Online Access Act (OZG), the Federal Government and the Federal States are obliged to offer their administrative services electronically via administrative portals. The administrative portal of the Customs Administration is the Customs Portal. More information on the Customs Portal can be found here:

Customs Portal

"Industrial property" online service

The ZGR-online system is integrated into the Customs Portal via the "Industrial property" service. In order to apply for detention of goods at the border, you must register with your ELSTER certificate in the Customs Portal or be represented by a person holding an ELSTER certificate. In Germany, in principle, an ELSTER certificate is issued only to individuals and companies with a German tax number. In order to be able to identify yourself digitally with ELSTER, you are required to have registered with "Mein ELSTER" first.

The border seizure procedure is a tax procedure within the meaning of the Fiscal Code of Germany (AO), to which the conditions of section 87a AO apply. The use of the ELSTER certificate as a secure means of identification and authentication ensures the required confidentiality and integrity of documents and administrative acts made available electronically.

If you do not have an ELSTER certificate and alternatively log in to the customs portal with "email address and password" access credentials, the functions of ZGR-online will only be available to you to a limited extent.

Customer account in the Customs Portal

For the filing and editing of applications for detention of goods at the border via the Customs Portal, it is mandatory in a first step to set up a business customer account using the ELSTER organisation certificate. A business customer account has to be set up for a company or a law firm, for instance. More information on how to register in the Customs Portal can be found on its help pages.

LOGIN Customs Portal (in German)

Overview of functions of ZGR-online

If you log in to the customs portal with an ELSTER certificate, you have full access to the functions of the ZGR-online IT application.

• All applications for action by the customs authority can be submitted, viewed and edited online.
• Additional applications pursuant to Articles 17, 19 and 26 of Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 may be submitted online.
• For your applications, the electronic provision of notices and notifications in the context of detections by the German customs offices is available, provided that you have agreed to them in the account settings.
• If an application has been granted by a Member State other than Germany and you have been designated as the contact person for the customs authorities, you have the possibility to consult the application data record in ZGR-online, to revise the detection instructions for Germany, to submit supplementary applications and to receive notices and notifications electronically via your account in the context of detections by the German customs offices.
• If your application for authorisation by Germany was submitted via another application portal (e.g. IPEP), you can also use the functions of viewing the application data record, requesting national supplementary applications and electronically providing notices and notifications within the scope of interceptions by the German customs offices via ZGR-online for this application. However, the application file can only be edited via the application portal you use

In principle, it is also possible to log in to the customs portal without an ELSTER certificate using the "email address and password" access credentials. In this case, the following basic functionalities of the ZGR-online application, which are necessary for the handling of the procedure, will be made available to you.

• You can submit applications for action by the customs authority in ZGR-online on the basis of Article 18 of Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 (ex officio procedure).
• The electronic provision of all notices and notifications (suspensions of release/retention of goods, seizures, cost notices) within the scope of seizures by the German customs offices is available to you, provided that you have arranged for the data transfer of your applications. In the case of notices, you must also have agreed to electronic provision in the account settings.

Please note the following:

• With the exception of the ex-officio procedure, you do not have access to data on authorised applications for action by the customs authorities.
• It is not possible to submit an application beyond the ex-officio procedure.
• Supplementary applications pursuant to Articles 17, 19 and 26 of Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 must be submitted in writing to the ZGR (Industrial property protection office).