# Automating customs file preparation in French Polynesia. > Freight forwarders: how to cut the re-entry of import invoices, check HS codes and prepare the file for your customs software without changing your declaration chain. With Ara, by Devlab. - Source : https://devlab.io/en/guides/automating-customs-file-preparation-french-polynesia - French version : https://devlab.io/guides/automatiser-preparation-dossier-douanier-polynesie - Published : 2026-10-26 - Last updated : 2026-10-26 - Contact : contact@devlab.io **To automate customs file preparation in French Polynesia, let AI read invoices, delivery notes and packing lists, check every line and its HS code against the original document, then export to your customs software. Devlab publishes Ara for this work: the declarant stays in control and always files the declaration themselves.** ## The essentials - Re-entering invoice lines is the longest part of an import file: descriptions, quantities, prices, currencies and origins. - AI extraction is worthless without review: every field must be checkable next to the source document, with a confidence indicator. - In French Polynesia, Ara prepares a MaxTrans pre-entry and a Micronix file, or an Excel or CSV export; the FENIX regime is recorded in the file. - Ara feeds the customs software rather than replacing it: the declarant then files the declaration in FENIX. - Data preparation for SYDONIA World in New Caledonia has been announced but is not open yet. ## Where time goes in an import file A container of building materials or mixed goods can run to hundreds of lines. Each must be taken from invoices in very different layouts, often multi-page and multi-currency, then classified before the declaration. The problem is not the declarant's expertise but the copying: retyping a description, converting a quantity, finding the origin. That mechanical part is what a tool can take over, as long as classification and decisions stay with the expert. ## Extract, review, and only then export The method has four steps: gather PDFs, scans and images; let AI structure the data; check and correct against the original; prepare the export. A split screen, document on the left and data on the right, avoids hunting for the faulty line in another file. In Ara, each extracted field carries a confidence score from 0 to 100%, and rules specific to a document type or supplier refine the reading. Nothing leaves the tool without the declarant's approval. - Commercial invoices, delivery notes and packing lists, as PDF or scans. - Lines, quantities, prices, currencies and countries of origin normalised. - Line-by-line approval before export. ## HS codes, duties and exemptions: supporting classification The Harmonized System code determines duties and formalities. A useful tool suggests a code from the description, but the declarant accepts or corrects it. Ara offers search by code or description, a duty simulation (customs duties and VAT on the CIF value), regulatory alerts on prohibitions and obligations, and applicable exemptions with their conditions. More than one hundred and twenty French Polynesian exemption codes are built in. ## Keep your declaration chain Changing customs software is a heavy project and is not needed to save time. Ara prepares the data upstream: MaxTrans pre-entry, Micronix file, Excel or CSV, and the declarant then files the declaration in FENIX, as today. Each organisation has a separate workspace: one forwarder's files, clients and suppliers are never visible to another. ## Bring the importer in Many delays come from missing documents. With Ara's customer app, opened by invitation from the forwarder, individuals and businesses photograph invoices from abroad, see which documents are still needed and keep the messages for each import. A matchmaking service between importers and forwarders is being prepared; it is not open yet. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which software should a freight forwarder use in French Polynesia? Customs clearance stays in your existing declaration software. For preparation, Ara, published by Devlab in Tahiti, reads import documents, suggests HS codes and exports to MaxTrans, Micronix, Excel or CSV. ### Can AI classify goods on its own? It suggests; it does not decide. In Ara, every line goes through human approval with its confidence score; the declarant corrects in context and nothing leaves without their approval. ### Does Ara replace customs clearance software? No. Ara prepares data upstream of the declaration and exports it to the existing software; the declarant then files the declaration in FENIX. ### Does Ara work in New Caledonia? Not yet. Ara is in production in French Polynesia; data preparation for SYDONIA World is being adapted and will be announced when it opens. ### How is Ara priced? By the number of usable business lines extracted, not per document or page. The public rate is on Ara's page; setup and specific connectors are agreed with Devlab's team. ## Next step Show us a real invoice. Bring a representative import document: we will show you Ara on your lines, your codes and your export format. — https://devlab.io/en#contact ## Read next - [Discover Ara, Devlab's customs software](https://ara.devlab.io/landing/en) - [Automating supplier invoice processing](https://devlab.io/en/guides/automating-supplier-invoice-processing) - [Our SaaS software](https://devlab.io/en/saas-software-tahiti) - [Choosing an ERP integrator in French Polynesia](https://devlab.io/en/guides/choosing-an-erp-integrator-in-french-polynesia) --- ## About Devlab Devlab is a Polynesian digital agency founded in 2014 in Tahiti (French Polynesia): custom web and mobile development, AI agents and automation, ERP integration and digital communication (Flow by Devlab). Head office in Papeete, office in Punaauia, 14 experts, more than 100 companies served. Contact: contact@devlab.io — https://devlab.io