Trust and Check trader

Benefits of certification

Once granted, this certification can provide the following benefits for the economic operators (among others):

• Globally recognised mark of quality that signals a company’s role as a secure and reliable participant of international trade. It is based on the World Customs Organization’s SAFE Framework of Standards to secure and facilitate global trade.
• Reduced customs inspections, priority treatment if selected for inspection and the possibility of simplified customs procedures.

According to the currently available draft documents underlying the EU customs reform project, the T&C Authorisation will envisage the following (among others):

• The T&C status requires the economic operator to transmit real-time data on goods movements from its IT system to the EU Customs Data Hub, a central platform for customs supervision and risk management.
• The T&C status grants the economic operator several facilitations, such as providing data and documents after the release of the goods, performing certain controls and releasing the goods themselves, determining and deferring the customs debt periodically and avoiding transit formalities for goods entering or exiting the customs territory.

Transition from AEO to T&C

While current AEOs have a foundational level of compliance and systems that may give them a transitional advantage, an AEO will not become a T&C trader automatically.

AEOs will need to meet the additional requirements specific to the T&C approach, particularly the implementation of an electronic system capable of interacting with customs systems for real-time data exchange. The transition to T&C status might require investment in technology and processes to meet the new standards of data provision and interaction with customs authorities.

In a nutshell, the T&C authorisation represents an evolution in this concept, introducing more stringent requirements and offering greater facilitation benefits. AEOs will not automatically become T&C traders; they must actively meet the additional criteria to qualify for this advanced status. The complexity of implementing the T&C requirements is beyond a simple upgrade and involves a significant commitment to enhancing systems and processes for real-time data sharing and analysis.