Practical customs guides

Clear, jargon-free guides to prepare a complete customs file: the documents to gather, the information to check and the mistakes that most often block declarations.

• Common errors in a customs declaration (and how to avoid them)

  Missing origin, inconsistent weights, miscalculated value, vague description, missing EORI: the most common customs declaration errors and how to fix them before filing.

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• Commercial invoice for customs: what to check before importing

  Seller, buyer, description, quantities, values, currency, Incoterm, origin: the essential details of a commercial invoice for customs clearance, and the inconsistencies to look for.

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• HS code (HS, CN, TARIC): the information you need to determine it

  HS code vs CN code (Combined Nomenclature) vs TARIC: 6, 8 and 10 digits, what each means, the product information needed for classification and common mistakes.

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• Which documents do you need for an import?

  Commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, proof of origin, certificates and licences: the documents to gather to clear an import, and what each one is for.

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• EORI number: what it is for, how to get one and how to check it

  What an EORI number is, who needs one, how to apply for free, how to check whether a number is valid and which mistakes to avoid in a customs declaration.

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• Incoterms and customs: who declares, who pays and which value to declare

  The 11 Incoterms 2020 rules from a customs perspective: who handles export and import formalities, who pays duties and VAT, and how the Incoterm changes the customs value.

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• Customs value: how to calculate it, with a worked example

  How to calculate the customs value of goods imported into the EU: transaction value, costs to add and deduct, currency conversion, duties and VAT, with a worked example.

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• Preferential origin: cut import duties with the right proof of origin

  How to benefit from reduced or zero duties under free trade agreements: rules of origin, EUR.1, statements on origin, registered exporters (REX) and mistakes to avoid.

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• Packing list: contents, template and mistakes to avoid

  What a packing list is used for in customs, the details to give package by package, consistency with the invoice and transport document, and common mistakes.

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• Customs procedures: free circulation, warehousing, processing, temporary admission

  EU customs procedures explained simply: release for free circulation, export, transit, customs warehousing, inward and outward processing, temporary admission.

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• Single Administrative Document and customs declaration: key data, box by box

  The Single Administrative Document (SAD) and its electronic successors: how SAD boxes map to declaration data elements, and the most common mistakes.

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• Authorised Economic Operator (AEO): benefits, criteria and application

  Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status: the difference between AEO customs simplifications and security and safety, benefits, criteria and how to apply.

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