Sector · Customs & Forwarding
AI software for customs & forwarding
Bonsai builds an AI layer around your existing customs software. The declaration engine stays put (Stream, Softpak or Stratech), and we automate the labour-intensive work around it: reading documents, preparing classification and checking before submission.
What's at play in customs & forwarding
Customs and forwarding is precision work, done under time pressure and under liability. A shipment turns up as a bundle of unstructured documents (commercial invoice, packing list, B/L, certificate of origin) in dozens of formats, varying by client and by country. Customs agents type that data into the declaration software by hand. The engine itself works fine; it's the work around it that swallows the hours.
The regulatory load keeps piling up: ICS2, DMS, CBAM. Under DMS the data has to be right before you submit, because there is barely any room to put it right afterwards. At the same time the customs-agent profession is ageing, and a new agent takes years to train. The only way out is more declarations per agent while holding the line on accuracy.
On top of that, declaration volume keeps growing, partly through e-commerce shipments, while the margin per declaration is squeezed. For AEO companies, demonstrable process control matters too: the declaration has to be correct, and you have to be able to show how it came about. At that point structured, logged processing stops being overhead and becomes a permit condition.
Systems we know and connect to
Where it pinches
Document processing is manual work
Invoice, packing list, B/L and certificates arrive in all sorts of formats and get typed into the declaration by hand. Slow, and easy to get wrong.
HS classification is error-prone
Commodity codes (HS → CN → TARIC) get copied under pressure from the supplier or a previous shipment, even though it's the binding notes that decide. One wrong code means an additional assessment, a fine and a delay.
No after-the-fact correction under DMS
AGS left some room to fix things afterwards; DMS forces the data to be correct before you submit. The error moves to the front of the process.
High liability risk
Under indirect and fiscal representation, the risk sits with you. Checking before submission is business-critical, never a nice-to-have.
Where AI does help, and where it doesn't
What we build for this
Document AI (IDP)
Invoice, packing list, B/L and certificates are read whatever their format or sender, and laid out cleanly for the declaration software.
Classification support
A reasoned proposal for the CN/TARIC code drawn from the description and the history, with a reference to the notes. The customs agent decides and signs off.
Check before submission
Consistency checks (value against quantity, origin against preference, missing documents, sanction flags) run before the declaration ever reaches the engine.
Inbox triage and follow-up
Sort incoming emails, pull out the documents, chase any missing items and reconcile the monthly statements.
Where AI is not the answer
- We don't build a declaration engine, and we leave Stream, Softpak and Stratech alone. They are regulated and certified, so rebuilding them only adds risk.
- The final call on classification and declaration stays with the customs agent; liability and binding notes call for a human.
- Black-box classification is off the table: every proposal can be explained and checked.
What we deploy for this
Dottle
Document AI for invoices, packing lists, B/Ls and certificates: read and laid out cleanly for your declaration software.
View DottleBonsai AI Workers
Digital colleagues for inbox triage, building up the file, checking before submission and chasing missing items.
View Bonsai AI WorkersBonsai AI Digital Twin
For the forwarding side: a single operational platform for shipments, customer portal and invoicing, sitting around your customs software.
View Bonsai AI Digital TwinYou can read how we approach it, from discovery through to an SLA, in how we work.
Questions about AI in customs & forwarding
Does Bonsai replace my declaration engine?+
No. We don't build a declaration engine, and we leave Stream, Softpak and Stratech in place. We lay an AI layer around them that automates the work surrounding them.
Which documents can the AI process?+
PDFs, scans, photos and Excel files, whatever the sender or layout. The AI reads the content in context rather than relying on rigid templates.
What do ICS2, DMS and CBAM mean for us?+
Since 1 December 2025 ENS declarations run only via ICS2, Customs is moving from AGS to DMS, and CBAM entered its definitive phase on 1 January 2026. Every one of them adds data fields and checkpoints, which is precisely the work you can automate around your engine.
Does the human stay in control?+
Yes. The AI flags and prepares; your customs agents review and keep final responsibility.
Can AI determine HS codes on its own?+
No, and you wouldn't want it to. The AI makes a reasoned proposal for the CN/TARIC code, referencing the description, the history and the notes; the customs agent reviews and signs off. Every step can be explained and traced.
Does this fit within our AEO authorisation?+
Yes. We set up the processing so every step is logged and traceable, down to who checked what. That fits the process control AEO asks for, and it makes your checks easier to evidence rather than looser.
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