The verdict in three sentences
Custom customs brokerage software for a Berlin forwarder handling about 1,200 declarations a month costs roughly 70,000 to 140,000 EUR excluding VAT in 2026. The main gain is ending manual rekeying before ATLAS: around 20 minutes saved per file, close to 4,800 hours a year. The second lever is disbursement billing, where duties and fees advanced for clients are too often invoiced late or not at all.
The hidden cost of rekeying in Berlin
Berlin brokers serve e-commerce importers at BER airport, rail freight from Asia and road traffic to Poland and the Baltics. Since the shift to ATLAS release 10 and the EU Customs Data Model, declarations hold more data elements than before. Most mid-size firms still copy data from commercial invoices and transport documents into a spreadsheet, then into a certified ATLAS client.
| File step | Current time | With software | Saved per file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening and document intake | 15 min | 5 min (OCR) | 10 min |
| Declaration preparation | 25 min | 18 min (prefill) | 7 min |
| Status tracking (release, pickup) | 10 min | 8 min | 2 min |
| Disbursements and invoicing | 9 min | 8 min | 1 min |
| Total | 59 min | 39 min | 20 min |
Over 1,200 files a month, that frees 400 hours, roughly 2.5 full-time customs specialists.
Modules and 2026 cost ranges
The software must speak the trade: EORI numbers, procedure codes, T1 transit, authorised economic operator status, guarantees, and the duties, import VAT and handling fees advanced on behalf of clients. The exchange with ATLAS goes through a certified participant software or provider interface, which is confirmed during scoping.
| Module | Functions | 2026 order of magnitude (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| File management | Intake, document OCR, steps, deadline alerts | 12,000 to 22,000 EUR |
| Declaration preparation | Prefill, tariff lookup, export to ATLAS client | 16,000 to 35,000 EUR |
| Disbursements and invoicing | Advances per file, rebilling, reminders, DATEV export | 10,000 to 20,000 EUR |
| Transit and guarantees | T1 tracking, guarantee balance, discharge alerts | 10,000 to 20,000 EUR |
| Client portal | Real-time status, documents, invoices | 12,000 to 23,000 EUR |
| Dashboards | Files per client, margin, lead times | 10,000 to 20,000 EUR |
| Total project | 70,000 to 140,000 EUR |
On Kolonell's grid, this is a complex application: 10,670 to 22,870+ EUR, with certified ATLAS interfaces and third-party integrations quoted separately. Maintenance runs at 53, 114 or 183 EUR per month depending on support level.
The client portal as a sales argument
E-commerce importers and manufacturers call several times a day to ask where their shipment stands. A portal showing the file step, release status and pickup date cuts those calls by more than half. It also helps in tenders, where large shippers increasingly require live visibility from their broker.
What to put in the specification
Before asking for quotes, describe your file types (import, export, T1 transit, e-commerce low-value consignments), monthly volumes per type, the ATLAS participant software you already use and your accounting tool. List every disbursement category you advance for clients and how you rebill them today. Add your peak periods, often November and December for e-commerce. A brief of two pages lets vendors quote within a 15 % range and prevents the classic overrun where guarantee management or OCR is discovered mid-project. Ask each vendor who owns the code, how a change in customs rules is handled and what the response time is when declarations are blocked.
Mini case study
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Katrin, managing director of a customs brokerage in Berlin-Schönefeld, handles 1,200 files a month with 16 staff. She invests 95,000 EUR in custom software, with maintenance at 183 EUR a month.
- Time saved: 1,200 × 20 min = 400 h a month, 4,800 h a year.
- Loaded hourly cost of a customs specialist: about 42 EUR. Value: 4,800 × 42 = 201,600 EUR a year.
- Disbursements recovered: 1 % of 300,000 EUR advanced monthly × 12 = 36,000 EUR a year.
- Annual gain: 237,600 EUR, minus 2,196 EUR maintenance = 235,404 EUR.
Payback comes in under five months, and the firm takes on 25 % more volume without hiring in a tight labour market.
FAQ
Does the software replace ATLAS?
No. ATLAS remains the official system of German customs. The software prepares data and passes it to a certified participant interface, cutting manual entry.
How long does the project take?
Allow 4 weeks of scoping, 14 to 18 weeks of development and a 4-week pilot with selected clients. Full rollout takes about 6 months.
Are T1 transit files and guarantees tracked?
Yes. The guarantee balance updates per file, and an alert fires if a transit is not discharged within a set period, for example 8 days.
Is the client portal secure?
Each importer only sees its own files, with two-factor login and logged access, hosted in EU data centres in line with GDPR.
Can it export to our accounting?
Yes. Invoices and disbursements export to DATEV or the accounting tool in use, which removes a monthly manual reconciliation of 1 to 2 days.
Let's scope your project. We map your file flow from arrival to discharge and define a first release that can go live within six months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
