Customs agency and forwarder
You are a customs agency or forwarder answering to a client
Your risk is not a penalty for someone else’s goods, it is the dispute with the client about who was supposed to check. The party with a dated record in the file wins it.
What is required of you
- Verifying the CN code before the declaration, in both directions, including the transit ban through Belarus (Annex XIX, Art. 1bb(2)).
- Bulk checking for larger declarations: a list of codes at once instead of single queries.
- Handing the client a document with the date and the version of the act, to establish who knew what and when.
What to keep in the file
- A check report per declaration, attached to the case file.
- A record of the correspondence with the client about the status of the goods.
Frequently asked questions
Am I liable if the client gave the wrong code?
The declarant is responsible for the content of the declaration, but a dispute over due diligence is settled by documentation. A dated check report shows what you passed to the client and when.