For businesses involved in international trade with third countries, there are many advantages to having an AEO certification. In fact, it is a type of partnership with the Customs authorities that is based on mutual trust.
Depending on the type of company, the nature of the goods, the role in the logistical chain, the financial solvency and the manner in which the administrative organization and internal control measures are structured, the Customs authorities may decide to perform less audits or perform them in a different way so that it is to the benefit of the certification holder. Besides reducing the number of Customs audits, AEO certification can also be used to obtain a reduction of ongoing gurantee. To obtain certain Customs authorizations, a company should also be ‘AEO-worthy’, which the authorities often use to (gently) force companies to apply for AEO certification.
The application for AEO certification requires considerable effort by the company. A large number of processes must be described in detail for this and non-operating departments (the Finance department, IT, Human Resources, etc.) must be involved with setting up a sound administrative organization and internal control measures
How can we help?
Our customs specialists can assist with setting up an administrative organization and internal control measures, as well as applying for and monitoring the AEO certification.
