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Customs advisory at OTSL supports your company before and during clearance: we choose the right procedure, verify the tariff classification, assemble the documents and settle who supplies what. The service is for importers and exporters moving goods on GB, EU, Swiss and Norwegian routes who want to avoid surcharges and hold-ups at the border.
What it covers
- Verifying the tariff classification (HS/CN code) before clearance, because it drives the duty rate and the list of licences
- Choosing the customs procedure: standard import, T1/T2 transit, regime 42, customs warehousing, temporary admission
- Assembling documents: commercial invoice, packing list, EUR.1, certificate of origin, EX/EAD
- Checking the Incoterms and establishing who pays duty and import VAT
- Verifying the EORI number and the importer's VAT settlement
- Preparing for border inspection and profiling to limit the risk of a standstill
- Aligning the declaration data with the customs agency that files it
How we do it
We start from the goods and the route. We establish the tariff code and check it in the EU TARIC tariff (available at europa.eu) and in the Harmonized System (HS) of the World Customs Organization. Changing a single digit can change the duty rate and the required licences, so we confirm the code before the goods move.
Next we match the procedure to the purpose of the shipment. Import with release for free circulation, T1 transit, regime 42 with deferred VAT or customs warehousing are different paths with different costs and obligations. For the chosen procedure we assemble the documents and state who supplies them: consignor, consignee or agency.
Finally we organise the flow of data into the declaration and prepare the shipment in case of examination. The clearance itself is filed by a customs agency, and we make sure the data is consistent and complete before the declaration enters the system.
Limits of the service (what it does NOT cover / what to know)
We do not replace the customs agency that files the declaration, nor do we issue binding tariff rulings, which sit with the customs authorities. Responsibility for the truth of the data on the goods and their origin rests with the importer or exporter. The client carries the cost: a wrong tariff code ends in a duty and VAT surcharge, an un-discharged T1 transit triggers the guarantee, and a missing EUR.1 or wrong origin means full duty instead of a preference. That is why we verify documents before clearance, not after a stop at the border.
