February 06, 2022
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Customs (trade) compliance

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What is customs compliance?

Customs compliance means compliance with legal rules and procedures applicable to goods brought into or taken out of the customs territory. 

Do customs compliance and trade compliance mean the same?

Customs supervise cross-border trade; therefore, the terms ‘customs compliance’ and ‘trade compliance’ are often used interchangeably, meaning compliance with the legal rules and procedures applicable to goods brought into or taken out of the customs territory.

What is governed by the legal rules?

Customs supervises trade contributing to fair and open trade, to the implementation of policies having a bearing on trade, and to overall supply chain security. Taking this into account, customs control:

  • duties and taxes to be paid, and the correct classification of goods, their value and origin;
  • application of product health requirements, veterinary, phytosanitary and quality regulations;
  • compliance with environmental legislation (hazardous chemicals and pesticides, substances that deplete the ozone layer, waste, etc.); 
  • application of product safety requirements and other market regulations (marking, labelling, certificates, etc.);
  • compliance with security and safety regulations (fight against terrorism, trade in dual-use and military goods, sanctions, embargoes, etc.);
  • compliance with intellectual property rights (counterfeited goods), etc.

Where are the legal rules set out?

The legal rules are enshrined in international conventions, bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, customs union legislation, and countries’ national legislation. 

The primary source of the rules of a customs territory is its customs-related legislation. For example, the Union Customs Code in the EU, and the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 in the UK. 

How complex is it to comply with the rules?

The legal rules cover broad regulatory areas and are constantly changing. Therefore, management of customs compliance might become a very complex task for business, depending on the type and number of goods traded, and the target markets.

Comments ()

lt
Inventorizacija – vienas seniausių apskaitos elementų
03-09-2023

Redakcija: Inventorizacija yra įprasta muitinės, laikinojo saugojimo, akcizinių prekių ir kituose sandėliuose. Taip pat jos principus taikome ne tik prekių atžvilgiu, bet ir naudodamiesi supaprastintomis procedūromis, pavyzdžiui, inventorizuodami įgaliotojo siuntėjo naudojamas plombas. Apskritai, tai labai svarbus įrankis apskaitoje turimų duomenų patikrinimui su faktu ir atitikties užtikrinimui. Pakvietėme ekspertus pasidalinti, į ką turėtų atkreipti verslas ir atsakingi įmonės darbuotojai dėmesį.

Dainora Maziliauskienė

risk management
lt
Inventorizacija – vienas seniausių apskaitos elementų
03-09-2023

Redakcija: Inventorizacija yra įprasta muitinės, laikinojo saugojimo, akcizinių prekių ir kituose sandėliuose. Taip pat jos principus taikome ne tik prekių atžvilgiu, bet ir naudodamiesi supaprastintomis procedūromis, pavyzdžiui, inventorizuodami įgaliotojo siuntėjo naudojamas plombas. Apskritai, tai labai svarbus įrankis apskaitoje turimų duomenų patikrinimui su faktu ir atitikties užtikrinimui. Pakvietėme ekspertus pasidalinti, į ką turėtų atkreipti verslas ir atsakingi įmonės darbuotojai dėmesį.

Dainora Maziliauskienė

risk management
en, lt
Risk management process
27-08-2023

There are five main steps in the standard customs risk management process as defined by the World Customs Organization: establish context, identify risks, analyse risks, assess and prioritize risks and address risks. In addition to these five steps, risk management requires constant monitoring and review.

risk management
en, lt
Risk management process
27-08-2023

There are five main steps in the standard customs risk management process as defined by the World Customs Organization: establish context, identify risks, analyse risks, assess and prioritize risks and address risks. In addition to these five steps, risk management requires constant monitoring and review.

risk management
en
The risk challenge of indirect tax - customs (Part I)
20-08-2023

Indirect tax - customs duty, excise duty and VAT - while it must be paid correctly, also offers various cash enhancement opportunities, which is crucial for all organisations seeking to continuously improve their internal indirect tax function. However, the prerequisite is due diligence. In this article, we overview the host of indirect taxes and indirect tax compliance obligations and focus on the “prerequisite” by discussing risk analysis in customs control based on the rules of HRMC (the UK Customs) and highlighting the importance to achieve “low-risk” status. We also overview customs duty. In the following articles, we will discuss VAT and excise more in detail.

Mark Rowbotham

risk management
en
The risk challenge of indirect tax - customs (Part I)
20-08-2023

Indirect tax - customs duty, excise duty and VAT - while it must be paid correctly, also offers various cash enhancement opportunities, which is crucial for all organisations seeking to continuously improve their internal indirect tax function. However, the prerequisite is due diligence. In this article, we overview the host of indirect taxes and indirect tax compliance obligations and focus on the “prerequisite” by discussing risk analysis in customs control based on the rules of HRMC (the UK Customs) and highlighting the importance to achieve “low-risk” status. We also overview customs duty. In the following articles, we will discuss VAT and excise more in detail.

Mark Rowbotham

risk management
en
Put yourself in the shoes of a customs auditor (and why you should) Part I
13-08-2023

What are the objectives of a post-clearance customs audit (PCA)? What does “a desk audit” mean? What are the obligations and rights of auditees? And generally, from a business perspective, isn’t it more important to get border controls right for goods to smoothly cross the borders than to care about PCAs? If you don't know the answers, continue reading this article, which gives an overview of the principles of customs audit-based controls around the world. Understanding these will help you better understand how customs auditors think and work. This is important to be prepared for customs audits and also to develop an appropriate internal procedure for auditing your company's compliance with customs and trade regulations, which is an effective measure to prevent costly errors or to detect and correct them in a timely manner (before the customs audit).

Enrika Naujokė

risk management
en
Put yourself in the shoes of a customs auditor (and why you should) Part I
13-08-2023

What are the objectives of a post-clearance customs audit (PCA)? What does “a desk audit” mean? What are the obligations and rights of auditees? And generally, from a business perspective, isn’t it more important to get border controls right for goods to smoothly cross the borders than to care about PCAs? If you don't know the answers, continue reading this article, which gives an overview of the principles of customs audit-based controls around the world. Understanding these will help you better understand how customs auditors think and work. This is important to be prepared for customs audits and also to develop an appropriate internal procedure for auditing your company's compliance with customs and trade regulations, which is an effective measure to prevent costly errors or to detect and correct them in a timely manner (before the customs audit).

Enrika Naujokė

risk management
en, lt
Rising interest on duties = Increasing costs of errors in customs declarations
05-08-2023

Those who pay their mortgages have become accustomed to paying higher interest rates. However, this applies not only to mortgages, but also to other interest and late payment charges that we may not think about in practice. For example, increased interest on customs duties, which are additionally charged by customs authorities when discrepancies are found after customs clearance.

Jurgita Bartninkienė

risk management
en, lt
Rising interest on duties = Increasing costs of errors in customs declarations
05-08-2023

Those who pay their mortgages have become accustomed to paying higher interest rates. However, this applies not only to mortgages, but also to other interest and late payment charges that we may not think about in practice. For example, increased interest on customs duties, which are additionally charged by customs authorities when discrepancies are found after customs clearance.

Jurgita Bartninkienė

risk management
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