Portbase Settings
The Portbase tab in Settings connects your organization to Portbase and controls which port notifications Borderbolt can send. Once it’s set up, individual declarations and transit departures can be submitted to Portbase. See Portbase Notifications for how that works day to day.
What Is Portbase?
Portbase is the port community system of the Dutch ports. Terminals, shipping lines and customs all use it to exchange information about cargo moving through the ports.
Borderbolt sends two kinds of notification through Portbase:
- MID (import notification): tells the receiving terminal that the import documents for a shipment are ready, so the cargo can be released for pickup.
- MED (export notification): tells the outgoing terminal that the export documents are ready for loading.
This saves you from notifying terminals by hand and helps avoid delays at the port.
Switching Portbase on does not send a notification for every declaration or transit. Each declaration or transit must be set to Submit to Portbase: Yes on its own page. See Turning On Portbase for a Declaration or Transit.
Enable Portbase Integration
Turns Portbase on or off for your organization.
When enabled and fully set up (host and username filled in, and an SSH key generated):
- The Portbase block appears on declarations (in the Container section) and on transit departures (in Container & Seals), where each one can be set to Submit to Portbase.
- Portbase appears in the sidebar, with the overview of all messages.
- Messages are created automatically for declarations and transits that are submitted to Portbase. See When Messages Are Sent Automatically.
If Portbase is switched on but the host, username or SSH key is missing, the Portbase block does not appear on declarations and transits yet.
When disabled:
- The Portbase block disappears from declarations and transits, and no new messages are created or sent.
- Existing messages are kept.
Changes take effect as soon as you click Save Changes; there’s no need to log out and back in.
SFTP Credentials
Portbase exchanges messages with Borderbolt over a secure file connection. You log in with the logon name Portbase gave you for your system interface, and an SSH key that Borderbolt generates for you.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Environment | Test (Development) or Production (Live). See Environment. |
| SFTP Host | The Portbase server address. It is filled in for the chosen environment (see below) and can be changed if Portbase gives you a different address. |
| SFTP Port | The port number: 22 for both Portbase environments. Leave it empty to use 22. |
| Username (logon name) | The logon name Portbase gave you for this system interface. |
Portbase Host per Environment
| Environment | Host | Port |
|---|---|---|
| Test (Development) | messaging2.kt.portbase.com | 22 |
| Production (Live) | messaging2.pcs.portbase.com | 22 |
The host is filled in when it’s empty. When you switch the environment, it changes along with it, as long as it’s still one of these two addresses. A host you typed in yourself is kept. If you save with an empty host, the address for the chosen environment is used.
Enter only the host name. The Portbase portal shows the address as sftp://messaging2.kt.portbase.com, but Borderbolt needs it without sftp:// and without a path: messaging2.kt.portbase.com. A host with sftp://, a path or a space in it is refused when you save, with a message saying what to enter.
SSH Key
Portbase recognizes your organization by an SSH key pair: a private key that stays in Borderbolt, and a public key that you register in the Portbase portal.
Before a key has been generated, the SSH key block explains this and shows a Generate key pair button.
After generating, the block shows:
- Public key: the key to register in Portbase, with Copy and Download (.pub) buttons.
- Description: a ready-made description to register the key with (for example
Borderbolt – Your Company – 2026-09-24), with a Copy button. - Fingerprint: a short code that identifies the key (starting with
SHA256:). The Portbase portal may show the same fingerprint once the key is added, so you can check they match. - Generated: when the key was generated, and by whom.
- The steps to add the key in Portbase.
The private key is never shown or downloadable, not even to administrators. It’s stored encrypted and is only used to log in to Portbase. Nothing needs to be kept safe on your side: the public key isn’t secret.
Adding the Key in Portbase
- In Borderbolt, go to Settings → Portbase and click Generate key pair.
- Click Copy next to the public key (or Download (.pub) to save it as a file).
- In the Portbase portal, open your system interface → Authentication keys.
- Add a key: paste the public key into Public key, and copy the description from Borderbolt into Description.
- Save the key in the Portbase portal.
- Back in Borderbolt, click Save Changes if you changed anything, then click Test Connection.
Use the key for the environment you’re setting up: test and production are separate in Portbase, so add the public key to the system interface of the environment you selected.
Generating a New Key Pair
Click Generate new key pair to replace the key, for example when you think it may have been exposed or when Portbase asks you to renew it. Borderbolt asks you to confirm first: the current key stops working once Portbase has the new key.
After generating a new key pair, add the new public key in the Portbase portal (and remove the old one there) before testing the connection. Until Portbase has the new public key, messages can’t be sent or received.
Organizations That Entered a Key Earlier
If your organization entered a private key before key generation was available, Borderbolt keeps using it and shows its public key and fingerprint the next time you open the page. If that key can’t be read, the page says so and shows Generate key pair: generate a new pair and add its public key in the Portbase portal.
Sender EORI
Your organization’s EORI number as registered with Portbase. It’s used when a notification is sent on behalf of your organization: for example when you choose Your organization as submitter of a MID, or when an automatic MID is sent for a declaration or transit whose declarant has no EORI number.
Environment
| Option | Use |
|---|---|
| Test (Development) | Setting up and checking your configuration. Messages don’t reach real terminals. The terminal pickers only offer the Portbase test terminal. |
| Production (Live) | Live notifications to real port terminals. Use this once your connection has been verified. |
Test and production are separate in Portbase, each with its own host and logon name. Make sure the logon name you’ve entered, and the system interface where you added the public key, belong to the environment you’ve selected.
Test Connection
Click Test Connection to check that Borderbolt can log in to Portbase with the saved details and your SSH key, and that your Portbase account has its upload and download folders. Save your changes first: the test uses the settings that have been saved.
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Connection successful | Borderbolt logged in and found the upload and download folders. |
| Portbase did not accept the key yet | Portbase was reached, but refused the login. The public key isn’t added in the Portbase portal (yet), or the username isn’t the logon name Portbase gave you. |
| Portbase could not be reached | The host or port is wrong, or Portbase can’t be reached right now. |
| The saved key could not be read | Generate a new key pair and add its public key in the Portbase portal. |
| The upload and download folders were not found | The login worked, but the account isn’t set up for file exchange. Ask Portbase to check your system interface. |
| Portbase is not set up yet | Portbase is switched off, or the host, username or SSH key is missing. |
For security reasons, technical details aren’t shown on screen. See Test Connection Fails for what to check.
Test the connection after adding the key in Portbase, after generating a new key pair, and whenever you switch between test and production.
Services
Import Documentation (MID)
Allows import notifications. With this switched on, a MID is created automatically for a declaration or transit that’s submitted to Portbase:
- an import declaration, when it’s released;
- an import pre-declaration (lodged before the goods arrive), when customs accepts it;
- a transit departure, when it’s released.
Whether the MID is then sent straight away depends on Submit Automatically When Valid. A MID without a terminal waits for someone to choose one, and a MID for a shipment without containers, or with a missing or invalid MRN, container number or EORI number, is created as a draft to complete by hand. See When Messages Are Sent Automatically.
Export Documentation (MED)
Allows export notifications. With this switched on, a MED is created automatically for:
- an export declaration, when it’s released;
- a transit departure, when it’s released and a MED Document Type has been chosen.
A MED is always created as a draft, with the MRN, containers and gross weights filled in. Portbase needs a booking number for every container or trailer, and Borderbolt doesn’t store booking numbers on declarations or transits: someone enters them on the message page and clicks Submit. See Gross Weights of a MED.
When MED is switched off, export declarations that are set to Submit to Portbase show a warning that nothing will be sent.
Submit Automatically When Valid
Decides whether an automatic MID or MED is sent to Portbase straight away. One setting covers both message types.
| Setting | What happens |
|---|---|
| Off (default) | Every message Borderbolt creates for a declaration or transit is saved as a draft, with all details filled in. Nothing goes to Portbase until someone opens the message in the Portbase overview, checks it and clicks Submit. |
| On | A message that passes every check is sent straight away. A message with something missing or invalid still waits as a draft. |
A MED always waits as a draft for its booking numbers, whichever you choose. Messages you create yourself from the Portbase overview are never sent until you click Submit.
Setting Up Portbase
- Go to Settings → Portbase.
- Switch on Enable Portbase Integration.
- Choose the Environment. The host is filled in for you.
- Enter the Username (logon name) Portbase gave you, and your Sender EORI.
- Switch on Import Documentation (MID) and/or Export Documentation (MED).
- Decide whether valid messages should go out without a click: switch on Submit automatically when valid, or leave it off to check every message before it’s sent.
- Click Save Changes.
- Click Generate key pair, and add the public key with its description in the Portbase portal (see Adding the Key in Portbase).
- Click Test Connection to check the connection.
Permissions
Editing Portbase settings, generating a key pair, downloading the public key and testing the connection require permission to edit settings, usually given to the Admin and Manager roles.
Viewing and working with Portbase messages requires permission to view declarations. See Portbase Notifications.
Troubleshooting
Test Connection Fails
- Make sure you’ve clicked Save Changes before testing.
- “Portbase did not accept the key yet”:
- Check that the public key is added in the Portbase portal under your system interface → Authentication keys, and that it was pasted completely (it’s one long line).
- Check that you added it to the system interface of the selected environment (test or production).
- If you generated a new key pair since, add the new public key: the old one no longer works.
- Check that the username is the logon name Portbase gave you, without typos or extra spaces.
- Compare the fingerprint in Borderbolt with the one Portbase shows for the key.
- “Portbase could not be reached”: check the host and port against Portbase Host per Environment. The host must be the bare host name, without
sftp://. If they’re correct, Portbase may be unavailable for a moment; try again later. - “The saved key could not be read”: click Generate key pair and add the new public key in the Portbase portal.
- “The upload and download folders were not found”: ask Portbase to check that your system interface is set up for file exchange.
- If the problem continues, ask your Portbase account manager to confirm the logon name and key are active.
Portbase Block Missing on Declarations and Transits
- Check that Enable Portbase Integration is on and saved.
- Check that the host and username are filled in and that an SSH key has been generated.
Notifications Not Being Sent
- Check that the right service (Import Documentation (MID) or Export Documentation (MED)) is switched on.
- Check that Submit to Portbase is set to Yes on the declaration or transit itself.
- For a MID, check whether a terminal was chosen. Without one, the message waits with the status Awaiting Terminal Selection.
- Check Submit automatically when valid. When it’s off, every automatic message waits in the Portbase overview with the status Draft until someone submits it.
- A MED always waits as a draft until its booking numbers are entered and it’s submitted.
- For a MID without containers, look for a draft in the Portbase overview. It needs to be completed and submitted by hand.
- For a transit MED, check that a MED Document Type has been chosen.
- Check that the declaration or transit has been released (or, for an import pre-declaration, accepted).
- Open the message in the Portbase overview and check its Timeline for errors.
Related Documentation
- Portbase Notifications: sending, viewing and resolving Portbase messages
- Declarations: creating and managing declarations
- Transit Declarations: creating and managing transit movements