Customs Submission Errors Troubleshooting Guide – Expedient Software

Introduction

This guide helps you troubleshoot customs submission errors when your documents cannot be submitted or the system shows a message that it is awaiting a response from customs. Follow the steps below to identify common causes and resolve the issue.

Issue description

Users may be unable to submit customs documents because the submission is still pending a response from customs. This can happen when a previous request is still processing, a connection issue interrupts the submission, or customs has not yet returned a final status.

Signs

An error message says the system is awaiting a response from customs.
You cannot submit new customs documents.
The submission appears stuck or pending for an extended period.

Basic troubleshooting steps

Wait a few minutes and try the submission again. Customs responses may be delayed.
Refresh the page or log out and back in to clear a temporary session issue.
Check whether the same documents were already submitted and are still pending review.
Confirm that all required fields and document attachments are complete and valid.
Try searching within ICS outbound messages for the missing message and if available, re-transmit them.

Diagnostic tools and resources

Submission EDI history screen.
Customs status page or tracking view
Browser console or network logs, if available

Advanced troubleshooting steps

Step 1: Verify the current customs status

Check whether the shipment or declaration is already awaiting customs review. If a previous submission is still open, you may need to wait for a response before submitting again.

Step 2: Resubmit after confirming document validity

Review the documents for missing information, expired files, or unsupported formats. Correct any issues and attempt the submission again.

Step 3: Check for system delays or outages

If customs services are experiencing delays, the submission may remain pending until a response is received. Try again later if the issue appears to be temporary.

Contact support

If the issue continues after following the steps above, contact support and include the following details:

Shipment or declaration reference number
Exact error message shown on screen
Date and time of the failed submission
Screenshots or logs, if available

Additional information

If you need to submit urgent customs documents, call cargo support directly. For more help, visit https://www.abf.gov.au/ for any known delays with messaging or contact Expedient Support.