Glossary of Customs Terms

Navigating customs formalities can be complex without a good understanding of specific terms. This customs glossary helps you decode all the words and expressions used in international trade, customs brokerage, duties, and import/export regulations. Whether you are an importer, exporter, or simply seeking information, you will find clear and precise definitions to simplify your operations and ensure full compliance with current regulations. Optimize your supply chain by mastering essential vocabulary and avoid costly mistakes in your customs procedures.
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Tuning, Acconing

Weighing heavy or bulky packages on board a ship using log cradles or wooden holds to avoid slipping during the crossing.

Authorized agent

Régime douanier permettant l'importation de marchandises en suspension de droits et taxes pour une durée limitée avant leur réexportation

Aggregation

Verification of the qualities of a commodity by an expert or a surveillance company.

Allotment

Type of preparation of orders at the reference in which all the items of the same reference are taken and then divided between the various orders to be processed.

Acquittement des droits

Paiement des droits de douane et taxes à l’importation pour que les marchandises puissent être mises à la consommation sur le territoire national.

AELE (Association Européenne de Libre-Échange)

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are trade agreements aimed at developing free trade between the European Union and Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Shipowner

The person who “arms” and operates the ship - its owner.

Aire de dépôt temporaire

ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations is composed of 10 member states. It is the 5th “economic block” in the world after the EU, the United States, China and Japan.

Apurement en douane

Specific insurance by the shipper expressly requesting insurance coverage up to the declared value of the goods and subject to the payment of a premium.

ARM (Accord de Reconnaissance Mutuelle)

Accidental damage to the means of transport or its cargo. If the goods were insured, the corresponding indemnities are included in a “disapache” (adjustment) established by a “damage inspector” (adjuster).

Common damage/General average

Losses or expenses incurred voluntarily by the Captain to save the ship and its cargo The distribution of these expenses between the shipowner and the various shippers is made in proportion to the values of the goods saved by an “average adjuster” who establishes an “average statement” giving details of the contribution (ship's proportion) of each of the participants. Pending the settlement of the joint damage, cargo receivers must sign an “average bond” and pay an interim contribution fixed in agreement between the dispatcher and the shipowner.

Refuelling

Provisions, fuels and various supplies intended for the operation of air and maritime transport as well as for the food and comfort of their passengers and crews.

B

B.A.E - Good to remove

Act by which the Customs Administration authorizes the removal of goods, placed under surveillance, for the purposes provided for by the customs regime under which they are placed. formalités douanières, le paiement des droits et taxes, et la validation du dédouanement. Ce justificatif est indispensable pour la sortie des marchandises d’une zone sous douane.

BAF Bunker Adjustment Factor

Tax used to compensate for changes in fuel prices (maritime transport).

Bill of Lading/Maritime Bill of Lading

The bill of lading (B/L) in English is the contract for the maritime transport of goods. Issued by the carrier to the shipper, it details the mode and the journey of a cargo from its origin to its final destination.

Domiciliation office

Customs office where all the operations of a company are centralized in the context of a particular procedure from which it benefits (for example as part of a home customs procedure). In the context of a single domiciliation, the domiciliation office is the one where credits, payments and customs clearance formalities are centralized (material accounting and regularized declarations). As part of this procedure, the offices on which the various sites from which physical import and/or export operations are carried out depend are referred to as “CAF” branch offices.

Bureau de dédouanement

Service douanier chargé de traiter les formalités d’importation et d’exportation, incluant le contrôle des marchandises et la perception des droits et taxes.

C

Carnet A.T.A

Domestic transport of goods carried out by a non-resident carrier (i.e. foreign) but a national of the European Union who does not have an establishment in the country where the transport takes place

FORCE MAJEURE

Irresistible, unavoidable and unpredictable event Frost is sometimes remembered as such (in summer at least, but not in winter).

Caution en douane

Term of maritime container transport Expedition for which the company takes care of bringing the empty container to the shipper, returning it full to its port storage area at the port of departure. At the port of arrival, the shipping company unloads the container through its storage area and delivers it to the recipient.

Cautionnement et décautionnement

Union Customs Code, determines the rules and procedures applicable to goods entering or leaving the customs territory of the European Union.

PAYLOAD

Load equal to the GVWR of the vehicle minus its empty weight.

LOADING

Operations consisting in loading the vehicle by optimizing the surface.

CHARGER

He can be the owner of the goods, the importer, the exporter, or the freight forwarder.

TACHOGRAPH

Recording device sealed and installed on board the truck, by authorized and sworn personnel. Among other things, it allows the control of driving and rest times.

TARIFF CLASSIFICATION OF GOODS

The tariff classification of goods refers to a European system for assigning codes to each given commodity in order to classify them into categories.

EXPRESS PACKAGE

Express parcel is an urgent and secure method of delivery of packages.

CUSTOMS BROKER

Professional performing on behalf of the sender or recipient of the goods, the operations to bring them into compliance with the customs regulations of the country in which they will be in transit or at destination. Since the establishment of the CDU (Union Customs Code), the name customs agent has been replaced by RDE: Registered Customs Representative

CSI (Container Security Initiative)

Program designed to secure the maritime transport of containerized goods to the United States.

Currentency Adjustment Factor

Tax used to compensate for changes in currency rates, for example freight in dollars (maritime transport).

Certificate of origin

Document attesting to the origin of a commodity and established by an authorized authority in the country of origin. Document with indicative value that is in no way binding on the import customs service.

EUR1 certificate

Document also called a “movement certificate” that attests to the origin of goods under certain preferential agreements.

Transshipment yards

Specialized projects designed for the transfer of Intermodal Transport Units (swap body or container) from one mode of transport to another (rail/road).

Loader/Shipper

Shipper of the goods. Person who entrusts to a party (freight forwarder, intermediary, transport and logistics operation, transport broker) the care of transporting his goods to a recipient.

Party charter

Document issued in case of chartering a ship. It sets the contractual terms of the agreement in free forms and at the discretion of the parties. However, there are standard charters (Gencon, Synacomex, lnertarkvot...). J.

Freight forwarder

Professional who takes care, materially and legally (therefore under his responsibility and in his own right), of having the transport of goods carried out on behalf of a principal.

Bill of Lading = B/L

Maritime transport document.

Conference/Freight conference

Group of shipowners serving the same lines, having concluded traffic agreements between them in order to regulate competition, organize the service of ports, standardize tariffs and provide for loyalty tax rebates.

Full container FCL = Full container load

Loading goods into a single container. The container is generally set up at the sender's premises and opened at the receiver's premises.

D

Disbursements

Expenses incurred by the shipper or transport on behalf of a third party, during transport.

Global Declaration/Supplementary (OCG)

Regularization declaration used to summarily complete, within the framework of simplified procedures, the prior customs clearance declarations made during the globalization period.

Trade in goods declaration (DEB)

Monthly statistical and fiscal declaration drawn up in the context of intra-Community trade by operators who have introduced or shipped goods.

Unpacking

Document douanier exigé pour justifier la valeur en douane des marchandises importées et déterminer les droits et taxes applicables.

Déclaration en détail

In terms of transport, cases of fraud in transport are mainly found in the diversion of goods, which are the result of its agents. Fraud is therefore characterized by an intentional failure on the part of the carrier to fulfill its obligations (No suggestion) may also be characterized by the intention to harm

Déclaration en douane

Fictive international currency that member countries of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) can use to pay off their balance of payments deficits. The D.T.S. is also used as a reference for calculating compensation for damages incurred during international transport (road/rail/air/sea), which is then converted into the national currency of payment. It is made up of a panel of national currencies, its value is therefore likely to vary at any moment, more or less, according to the fluctuations of the component currencies.

Commission agent's right of retention

The privilege of the commissionaire allows him to exercise a right of retention on the goods and documents that have been given to him, to have them sold and to be paid by preference. All claims due to the commission agent, not only those relating to the goods retained but also those arising from previous transactions, are guaranteed by the lien.

Carrier's right of retention

From now on, the carrier can exercise his right of retention for any unpaid transport claim from his principal, the sender or the recipient, even arising from previous transport.

Document administratif unique (D.A.U.)

Formulaire standardisé utilisé pour la déclaration en douane des marchandises dans l’Union européenne, couvrant les importations, exportations et transits.

Droit additionnel à l'octroi de mer

Taxe appliquée en plus de l’octroi de mer sur certaines marchandises importées dans les régions ultrapériphériques françaises, visant à protéger l’économie locale.

Droit(s) de douane

Taxe perçue par l’administration douanière sur les marchandises importées, calculée selon la valeur, le poids ou le volume des biens et selon les accords commerciaux en vigueur.

E

Disbursement

Delivery is carried out in the hands of the person designated as the recipient on the transport document. As soon as this person has taken possession of the shipment, they release it to the carrier by signing the transport document.

Potting/Unpacking

Operation of loading or unloading goods inside a UTI.

Freight commitment (Booking note)

Agreement, signed by the parties, in which a shipper undertakes to deliver goods to a shipowner or his agent and the shipowner undertakes to reboard. The booking note gives the details of the goods to be loaded (freight rate, board prices, ports of loading and unloading, date of embarkation) with any observations.

Multimodal transport contractor

Person who concludes a multimodal transport contract and who assumes full responsibility for the execution of the contract as a carrier or transport operator.

Express shipping

Express shipping is a very fast and secure method of sending packages and goods nationally and internationally.

Entrepositaire agréé

Space that allows the storage of goods waiting for customs clearance.

Entrepôt douanier

Economic Operator Registration and Identification. The EORI number is a unique community identification number allowing operators to import and/or export goods outside the European Union and to carry out customs formalities.

Tariff species

Nomenclature of a product in application of the customs tariff. According to article 28 of the Customs Code: “the type of goods is the name assigned to them by the Common Customs Tariff. Orders of the Minister of Economy and Finance may prescribe, for the declaration of the tariff type of goods, the use of codification elements of the customs clearance nomenclature of products. This nomenclature is the subject of a publication by order of the Minister of Economy and Finance.” There are approximately 15,500 classification headings.

Espace économique européen (E.E.E.)

Expected date and time of arrival of the vessel at the port.

E.T.C./Empty Trans Container

Empty container

E.T.D./Estimated Time of Departure

Expected departure date and time.

EVP/TEU

Twenty foot equivalent. Unit of measurement corresponding to a 20-foot long (6.10 m) ISO container, used to express transport capacities or flows. A standardized 40-foot ISO series 1 container corresponds to 2 TEU/TEUs.

Registered exporter

Registered exporter status is a customs simplification allowing the exporter to self-certify the origin of goods on a commercial document. This procedure involves obtaining the REX 5 (Registered Exporter System) number electronically, via the SOPRANO-REX remote procedure.

F

Faculty/Goods insurance, cargo insurance

In terms of marine insurance, it is the name of the goods as opposed to the “body” (hull policy), that is to say the ship itself F.P.A.

F.A.P. = Franc of particular damage/Free of particular average

Insurance formula in which Insurers cover the total loss, the common damage, with the exception of specific damages. droits de douane, la TVA à l’importation, ainsi que les éventuelles taxes spécifiques selon la nature du produit et son origine.

F.A.P. except

Insurance formula similar to the F.AP. but also covering damage due to certain causes to be specified in the policy (generally collision, grounding, fire, explosion, collision with a fixed or floating body). droits de douane et taxes sur certaines marchandises importées, applicable sous conditions spécifiques comme les effets personnels des voyageurs ou certains régimes douaniers particuliers

G

Stacking/Stacking

Stacking containers or packages one on top of the other.

White gloves

Service allowing the treatment of fragile or high-value goods (works of art, luxury products, technological equipment with high added value, etc.) with particular attention to the smallest details, integrating the unpacking of the goods, the installation and the management of packaging. It also offers treatment that respects security and confidentiality measures.

Stacking/Stacking

Stacking containers or packages one on top of the other.

H

Aucun résultat

Place of transshipment where connections are organized.

I

Importation

The IATA or International Air Transport Association brings together the majority of airlines with around 290 members.droits de douane, TVA à l’importation et formalités douanières selon la réglementation en vigueur.

Import Control System (ICS)

Name in maritime transport of dangerous goods.

Incoterm

Terms of sale, used in international trade, establishing responsibilities and terms of transport.transport, assurance, dédouanement et transfert des risques, utilisées pour sécuriser les transactions commerciales internationales.

Installation de stockage temporaire (IST)

InternationalShip and Ports facility Security Code. Overcharge for port security costs.

Intracommunautaire

Désigne les échanges commerciaux entre les États membres de l’Union européenne, soumis à des régimes fiscaux spécifiques, notamment en matière de TVA et de déclarations d’échanges de biens (DEB).

J

Jat/Juste à temps (Just in time)

Organization of just-in-time production aimed at minimizing stocks.

K

No results

No results.

L

Leave behind

The shipment whose recipient has refused to take delivery for any reason whatsoever and which is left at the disposal of the carrier by the ordering party, who analyzes it in total loss.

Air waybill (LTA)/Air way bill (AWB)

Document governing the transport of goods by air.

Car letter

Inland transport document.

M

M.A.D.T. store or temporary storage area

Place approved for the temporary storage of goods waiting for a customs destination.

Export store or yard/M.A.E.

Place approved for the storage of goods declared for export and which must be subject to special supervision by the customs service.

Release

Act by which the customs officer, after completing the formalities of the Declaration in detail, authorizes the declarant to remove goods in order to give them to their destination in accordance with the regime under which they were declared.

Manifest/Manifest

Maritime or air transport document that summarizes all goods loaded in a port or airport to another port or airport.

Hazardous materials/Hazmat goods

Maritime or air transport document that summarizes all goods loaded in a port or airport destined for another port or airport

Messenger

Carrier registered in the register, carrying out operations of removal, groupage — ungrouping, and distribution of goods in packages or lots of less than 3 tons.

Express messaging

Express messaging includes the transport of packages and goods requiring passage through a sorting, ungrouping or grouping chain.

Merchant Haulage

(term of maritime container transport) Shipment in which the shipper collects the container from the shipping company's storage area, packs it and transports it to the port of loading. At the port of arrival, the shipper or receiver (according to the incoterm) takes care of taking the container from the shipping company's storage area and transporting it at their own risk and expense to the final destination.

Multimodality

Connection between several modes of transport.

Verified Gross Mass (VGM)

It is the total gross mass of a container (standard container, tank, flat and bulk)... It must include all the units of packages and goods, the strapping and rigging equipment (for example packaging) as well as the empty weight of the container (TARE).

N

Combined nomenclature (HS code)

System for the description and codification of goods within the European Union The NC is composed of 8 digits:

Notification - Notify address

A statement that is placed on the transport document to specify the persons to be notified when the goods arrive.

ISO standards

ISO standards in the freight transport and logistics sector are numerous and serve as a certification for the quality of the carrier's services and processes.

NVOCC or Grouper

No Vessel Operating Common Carrier. Term referring to a company buying maritime transport capacity that it then offers to its customers under its own responsibility.

O

Transport order

Contractual document used between a client and a transport operator.

AEO (Authorized Economic Operator)

Operator benefiting from an authorization granted by the customs administration. Certification, which is a guarantee of the reliability of the service provider, allows, among other things, simplified access to simplified customs procedures, advance declarations, etc.

Preferential origin

Used to apply a reduced or zero rate of customs duties. Bilateral free trade agreements established between the EU and a number of third countries allow the granting of tariff advantages (reduction or exemption from customs duties) to goods traded between the contracting parties. In order to benefit from the advantages conferred by preferential origin, exported goods must comply with the conditions defined by the free trade agreement established with the country concerned.

Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC)

Institution internationale régulant les échanges commerciaux entre pays membres, en garantissant le respect des accords de libre-échange et la résolution des différends commerciaux.

Origine d’une marchandise

Critère déterminant le pays où un produit a été fabriqué ou transformé de manière significative, essentiel pour l’application des droits de douane et des préférences commerciales.

Origine non préférentielle

Statut attribué aux marchandises ne bénéficiant pas d’accords commerciaux spécifiques, soumises aux tarifs douaniers standards du pays importateur.

Origine préférentielle

Statut accordé aux marchandises issues de pays ayant signé des accords de libre-échange avec l’UE ou d’autres zones économiques, permettant des réductions ou exonérations de droits de douane grâce à des documents comme le certificat EUR1.

P

P.I.F./ Border Inspection Post

Any inspection post located in France near the external border of Community territory.

Logistics platform

Geographical concentration of independent organizations and businesses, dealt with freight transport (for example, freight forwarders, shipper, transport operator, customs) and ancillary services (, warehousing, maintenance and repair) and ancillary services (, warehousing, maintenance and repair)

Perfectionnement passif

The express pallet service is ideal for responding to an extreme emergency without breaking the load.

Loading plan

All operations consisting in the judicious positioning of loads in a road vehicle.

Q

No results

No results.

R

Pickup

Action of coming to collect the shipment (s) from the sender.

Dimensional weight ratio

It is a ratio between the weight of shipments and their volume.

RDE (Registered Customs Representative)

The RDE is a natural or legal person who carries out on behalf of a third party the formalities allowing the application of customs legislation. The term “customs agent” no longer exists. In order to carry out customs clearance formalities, it is now necessary to comply with the rules and obligations of the Registered Customs Representative (RDE) status set out in the Union Customs Code (CDU).

Régime de transit

A reefer container is a temperature-controlled refrigerated container equipped with a refrigeration and heating device allowing transport at positive or negative temperatures.

Reserves

Recognition of shortages and damage when taking care of goods, in order to subsequently determine responsibilities.

REX

Registered Exporter System: system of registered exporters.

Renseignement tarifaire contraignant (RTC)

Regulations concerning the international transport of dangerous goods by rail.

Ro-Ro /Roll on - Roll off/Roll off/Roll on (ship) or Ro-Ro

Vessel with horizontal handling and loading (by doors placed at the back or on the side and by fixed or mobile internal ramps).

Rolling road/Moving highway = rail highway

Transport of complete road vehicles, using the Roll-Over technique, on trains composed of low-floor wagons over their entire length. codes tarifaires, droits de douane et réglementations applicables aux marchandises dans l’Union européenne

S

Stockage sous douane

The SOLAS Convention: Safety Of Life at Sea, adopted on 1 November 1974 and entered into force on 25 May 1980, defines standards for the safety, security and operation of passenger ships and commercial vessels engaged in international trips. It is the most important international treaty concerning ship safety.

Système harmonisé (SH)

Location for a container on a container ship.

T

T1/T2/T2F/T2L/T2LF/T5

Tare is the empty weight, or empty mass, of a vehicle, handling support or intermodal transport unit.

TARIC – Tarif Intégré des Communautés Européennes

Semi-trailer with sliding curtains.

Tarif douanier / Code douanier

The Tariff code is composed of 10 digits and is a division of the Combined Nomenclature (CN) this codification makes it possible to define the applicable customs duty rate and the Community regulations applicable when importing a product originating from a country that does not belong to the European Union. droits de douane, taxes et restrictions applicables en fonction de leur nature et de leur origine

Controlled temperature

The controlled temperature makes it possible to guarantee specific transport conditions for sensitive products. Depending on the nature of the products, the temperature can be positive or negative.

Taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA)

Transportation of dangerous materials.

Transit

Place equipped for the transshipment and storage of UTI.

Transit commun

Boarding or disembarking fees, cases of maritime container transport.

International road transit - TIR

Transit procedure established by a convention signed in Geneva and which allows a sealed road complex, transporting goods according to a specific route and within certain time limits, to carry out a transport using the territory of several signatory states without systematic verification of its load at border crossings and in suspension of national duties and taxes of the countries crossed under cover of a bonded notebook approved by the customs authorities.

U

UP (Paid unit)/WM (Weight Measurement)

When calculating the price of a freight, a unit of taxation which is calculated either per ton or per cubic meter for the benefit of the ship.libre circulation des marchandises, des capitaux, des services et des personnes, avec une réglementation douanière commune et l’application du Code des douanes de l’Union (CDU) pour harmoniser les échanges internationaux.

V

Value to be insured

Real value of the goods.droits de douane et taxes sur les marchandises importées, basé sur le prix d’achat, les frais de transport et d’assurance jusqu’à la frontière du pays importateur, conformément aux règles de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC).