Quick Tips for Logistics Professionals
Every year, the European Union updates its Customs Tariff.
- Download the EU Customs Tariff 2023 in PDF and learn how to identify the changes,
- Consult the database TARIC Europa and use the table of correlation of customs codes 2022-2023 in XLS.
- Use the online service RITA provided by the French Customs.
- You can also refer to the HS TRACKER of HS codes of the World Customs Organization.
- Using the correct customs codes is essential to define the applicable customs duties for your products, avoid delays and customs disputes. To ensure your customs nomenclature, you can request a BTI.
Customs, customs agents and freight forwarders use HS codes (Harmonized System) codes, also called commodity codes to clear all goods crossing international borders. In the European Union, these codes are defined by the customs tariff, also known as the EU Combined Nomenclature.
EU Customs codes: What’s new in 2023?
Each year, the 8-digit combined nomenclature that defines customs tariffs within the European Union evolves to keep pace with the reality of international trade. The new edition, which came into effect on January 1, 2023, includes many changes, including the creation of many new classifications.
In particular, there are changes in customs codes and new features in the following chapters of the tariff 2023:
- Some changes affect the chapter of edible fruits; peels of citrus fruits or melons (chapter 8) as well as that of cereals (chapter 10)
- Chapter 25 Mineral Products and Chapter 26 Ores, Slag and Ash
★ The new features concern mineral materials and waste - Chapter 28: Inorganic Chemicals […]
★ The changes only affect rare earth metals and their compounds - Chapter 76: Aluminum and Aluminum Products
★ The changes affect unalloyed aluminum and aluminum alloys. - Chapter 84: Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery, Apparatus and Mechanical Devices; Parts of such Machinery or Apparatus
★ New developments have been made in profile forming machines, machines for additive manufacturing by depositing sand, cement or other mineral products - Chapter 85: Electrical Machinery, Apparatus and Equipment and Parts Thereof, Sound Recording or Reproducing Apparatus, Television Image and Sound Recording or Reproducing Apparatus, and Parts and Accessories Thereof
★ The changes mainly concern the static converter familyand electromagnets.
If your products fall under these customs chapters, we invite you to check if your TARIC/10 codes have changed on the website RITA > News bubble – Changes in nomenclature. Please note that these news are only available temporarily.
How to secure your HS codes in 2023?
Here are 4 methods to determine the customs code of your goods, or to verify the validity of a code in the new EU Customs Tariff 2023: Please note: updates may occur during the year.
Eur-Lex: Download and track changes in the European customs tariff 2023
Download the European Customs Tariff 2023 in PDF in English or in the language of your choice on the EUR-Lex website.
To identify changes, look for (ctrl + f) the ★ or ■ signs in the PDF version:★ designates the new customs code numbers
■ refers to code numbers that were used in the previous year, but with different content.TARIC: check correlations and consult the EU customs code base online
The European Commission maintains the TARIC (Integrated Tariff of the European Union) database.
- To help you check if the customs codes used by your company in 2021 and 2022 have changed in 2023, use theTARIC 2022/2023 correlation table (in excel format).
- Consult the TARIC Europa database online on the EC Europa website, updated daily, and watch for TARIC news on CIRCABC.
Caution:- Updates may occur throughout the year.
- The last 2 digits (10 and 80) indicated in the columns following the TARIC code are “indices” and are not part of the TARIC code itself.
- The codes followed by an index 10 are “intermediate” lines of the nomenclature, i.e. “subheadings” of descriptions. These positions followed by 10 are therefore not “reportable” TARIC codes.
- The codes followed by the index 80 are the TARIC codes “declarable” for customs clearance.
- See sheet 1 “TO READ” of the excel table for further explanation.
RITA: Easily determine the customs code of your goods and follow the news
The RITA (Référentiel Intégré du Tarif Automatisé) is the reference catalog of the EU and French customs tariffs and is constantly updated by the French Customs. It brings together the regulations concerning the tariff classification of the goods, the applicable duties and taxes, the required accompanying documents, …
The RITA encyclopedia offers you a dematerialized version of the customs tariff, with a search ergonomics infinitely superior to that of the official text made available on EUR-lex!- Use RITA to determine your customs codes by going to douane.gouv.fr, RITA Encyclopedia.
- Check for changes during the year on RITA>bulle Actualités – Modifications de nomenclatures. Please note that these news are only available temporarily.
WCO: use the global HS code nomenclature
On January 1, 2023, the World Customs Organization released its 7th edition of the 6-digit Customs Code (HS6). This new edition of HS 2023 includes significant changes with 351 sets of amendments.
> Use HS TRACKERfrom the World Trade Organization and the World Customs Organization to track your HS codes from 1992 to 2023.
Customs codes: what you need to know
What is the purpose of HS codes and Customs Tariff?
The customs tariff is one of the most important customs documents because it allows you :
- to classify your products in the European 8-digit Combined Nomenclature (CN).
- to know the customs duties applicable to your goods imported into the European Union (EU) – excluding tariff preferences.
It is also very imposing by its size and content, no less than 1048 pages, and more than 15,500 references.
Why it’s important to update your customs codes
Updating your customs nomenclatures is all the more important as it will allow you to :
- to maintain the reliability of your customs databases, intended for all company departments (Sales, Purchasing, logistics, customs, accounting, etc.).
- Avoid delays in customs clearance, when your customs representative comes back to you to tell you that your customs nomenclature no longer exists and that he needs the new 2023 nomenclature.
- Avoid customs disputes and make sure you pay the right customs duties.
To go further: validate your customs classification with a BTI
Classifying your products, especially technological products, among the 15,500 references of the tariff classification of goods can quickly become a risky headache.
A nomenclature error on the Single Administrative Document (SAD) used in customs at the entry or exit of the Customs Territory of the Union can cost a heavy litigation with the customs administration.
Binding Tariff Information (B TI) is not mandatory, but it guarantees the customs nomenclature and duties applicable to your product within the European Union. Valid throughout the European Union for a period of 3 years, it allows you to benefit from the expertise of Customs for complex classifications, and can avoid costly adjustments.
Also check for changes in the Customs Tariff 2022.
