The World Customs Organization (WCO), in collaboration with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) - a specialized agency of the United Nations whose aim is to secure the organization and improvement of postal services and to promote the development of international collaboration in this sphere - has recently published the Guidelines on the exchange of electronic advance data between postal operators and Customs administration staff dealing with postal customs clearance. Such guidelines were adopted in the last meeting of the WCO Council (the WCO highest decision-making body, made up of the Directors General of the 183 WCO Member Customs administrations), held at the end of June 2019.

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Customs compliance is a term often ignored by businesses involved in international trade. It essentially means to understand and fulfil all the requirements related to the execution of an international trade transaction. In order to be “customs compliant”, a trader must be sure that the tariff classification, origin and valuation of goods are accurately declared in accordance with legislative and regulatory requirements, and that the appropriate duties and taxes are paid. Additionally, an essential part of customs compliance is to ensure that all import requirements are met, such as having the appropriate import license or permit, as well as all the authorisations or certificates required by Customs and other cross-border regulatory agencies in connection with the prospected operation. Failure to meet such requirements can lead to penalties, extra fees or even to the revocation of authorizations or facilitations granted by Customs.

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