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.
Read the guideCommercial 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.
Read the guideHS 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.
Read the guideWhich 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.
Read the guideEORI 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.
Read the guideIncoterms 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.
Read the guideCustoms 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.
Read the guidePreferential 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.
Read the guidePacking 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.
Read the guideCustoms 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.
Read the guideSingle 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.
Read the guideAuthorised 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.
Read the guideLow-value parcels: the end of the €150 relief and the €3 customs duty
Since 1 July 2026, parcels worth up to €150 imported into the EU pay €3 of customs duty per item, soon followed by a €2 handling fee. How it is calculated, who pays and the timeline to 2028.
Read the guide
Free tools
EORI number checker
Check an EORI number for free: format first, then active status in the official register (European Commission or HMRC), with the holder's name when published.
Use the toolCustoms code checker (HS, CN, TARIC)
Check a customs commodity code for free: existence in the Combined Nomenclature, chapter, HS / CN / TARIC breakdown and the declarations that accept it.
Use the toolFind an HS code from a product description
Find a customs code for free from the words that describe your product, in the official texts of the 2026 Combined Nomenclature.
Use the toolEU VAT number checker
Check an EU VAT number for free: format and check digits, then validity in VIES, with the name and address when the member state publishes them.
Use the toolCustoms value, duty and import VAT calculator
Calculate the customs value of an import into the EU for free, based on the Incoterm, then the customs duty and import VAT, with every step of the calculation.
Use the toolCustoms exchange rates for the month
The exchange rates to use this month for customs value in the euro area, published by the ECB, with a converter to euros.
Use the toolCBAM checker: are your goods covered?
With a CN code, check for free whether an import falls under the EU CBAM: sector, exclusions, origin and the 50-tonne annual threshold.
Use the toolCheck a company's AEO status
Check for free whether a company is an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO): search by name in the European Commission's official AEO database.
Use the toolCheck and track an MRN
Check an MRN for free: check digit, year, country and declaration type, then follow a transit in the European Commission's official MRN service.
Use the toolCheck a registered exporter's REX number
Check a supplier's REX number for free: structure, then status in the European Commission's database of registered exporters, with the dates of validity and revocation.
Use the toolScreen a company against sanctions lists
Screen a company or a person against the EU, UN, UK and US sanctions lists for free, updated every day, with a match score for each listed name.
Use the toolFind the commodity code of a chemical substance by CAS number
Find the commodity code of a chemical substance for free from its CAS number, CUS number or name, in the European Commission's customs inventory of chemical substances (ECICS).
Use the toolTariff quota balance
Check for free the remaining balance of an EU tariff quota from its order number, or from a code and an origin: balance, status (open, critical, blocked, exhausted) and the exact time it was read in the Commission's QUOTA database.
Use the tool
Is your file ready?
Check it for free in a few minutes, before you prepare your declaration.