Customs abbreviations

AAD (Administrative Accompanying Document)
A paper-based administrative accompanying document for excise taxation produced in the EMCS system. The document will be produced electronically in the future (e-AD).

e-AD
Electronic AAD form

AEO (Authorised Economic Operator)
AEO is an operator to whom Customs, upon application, has granted the status of authorised economic operator. AEO is a status granted by EU’s customs administrations.

AREX
Declarations for goods entering and leaving the customs territory of the Union are processed in the AREX system. The system is in contact with e.g. the transit, import and export systems of Customs. The abbreviation comes from the terms ‘Arrival’ and ‘Exit’.

BTI (Binding Tariff Information)
Binding tariff information (BTI) is a written decision on the commodity code applied to goods.

CCI (Centralised Clearance for Import)
Centralised clearance for import.

CDS (Customs Decision System)
A joint customs decision system within the EU. Authorisations and decisions regarding several Member States are applied for and processed in the system.

CED (Common Entry Document)
A common entry document that is filled in by feed or food business operators or their representative. With this document, the operator declares the type and the time for when the goods item physically arrives at the designated location.

CITES
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Combined Nomenclature (CN)
The EUs combined nomenclature, which 8-digit commodity codes are used for intra-Union trade statistics and for exporting goods.

C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism)
A cooperation programme between U.S. customs authorities and economic operators working against terrorism linked to the importation of goods. This cooperation is based on a voluntary agreement between the customs authorities and the company, and not on an authorisation granted by the customs authorities; as is the case with the European AEO programme, which covers both import and export.

DPE (Designated Point of Entry)
Place of entry of the goods. There are specific import locations on EU borders through which animals, foodstuffs and feed can be imported.

EAD (Export Accompanying Document)
An EAD is a document that accompanies goods to the office of exit.

EBTI (European Binding Tariff Information)
The EBTI database can be used to search for binding tariff information decisions granted by different Member States of the EU.

ECS (Export Control System) and AES
EU’s common export system, which enables message traffic between different national export systems. The EU’s operational model and messages are used to control the exit of export consignments from the customs territory of the EU.
Later, the electronic export system will be automated more extensively, and the system will then be called AES (Automated Export System).

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
This is a method of transferring electronic data. In Finnish, this method is called ‘organisaatioiden välinen tiedonsiirto – OVT’. Methods of transferring data are e.g. EDIFACT or XML.

ELEX (Electronic Export System)
An information system of Finnish Customs for processing electronic export declarations.

EMCS (Excise Movement and Control System)
A control system for excise goods moving under duty suspension. The aim of the EMCS project is to control electronically the movement of excise products such as alcohol, tobacco and energy products under duty suspension, and to replace the paper administrative accompanying document (AAD) with an electronic excise document.

EORI
EORI is a trans-European system for the registration and identification of economic operators. EORI is short for Economic Operators Registration and Identification System.

ICS (Import Control System)
An import control system used to declare goods arriving in the Union. ICS is the first stage of an automatic import system AIS, which will be implemented at a later stage and which will cover the entry summary declaration, presentation of goods and the arrival declaration required for all modes of transport.

INF (Information Sheet for Special Procedures)
Standardised forms used for exchanging information regarding special procedures, and which the declarants fill in and present to customs authorities of Member States as required by legislation.

Intrastat (Intra Community Statistics System)
Statistics system for data regarding the trade in goods between EU Member States.

IPR (Intellectual Property Rights)
Intellectual property rights include copyright, trademarks, patents, trade names and trade secrets.

ITU
Integrated customs clearance system. A system, which integrates the applications needed for import customs clearance and which Customs uses to administer the whole customs clearance chain.

KaPA
National service architecture.

Katso ID
Katso identification, provided by The Population Register Centre, is a system created to provide companies with a way of signing in to electronic services provided by authorities; e.g. customs declaration services. The Katso ID includes a user name, password, and a one-time password. The service is free of charge and available at yritys.tunnistus.fi.

Luke (Customs Authorisation Centre)

MASP (Multiannual Strategic Plan)
Planning document for all customs projects connected to information technology, EU’s multi-annual strategic plan.

Meke
Customs Sea Traffic Centre, which processes and controls mandatory notifications given in the PortNet data system for sea traffic. Meke is part of the Electronic Service Centre and provides service all year round. The address is, Satamakatu 22, Turku.

MRN (Master Reference Number, previously Movement Reference Number)
A reference number that the Customs system provides when accepting certain customs declarations as received. Customs send an acceptance message with the MRN to the customer. The MRN is entered in transit declarations, export declarations and certain notifications of arrival and exit. Instructions on how to use the number are provided in each application.

NCTS (New Computerised Transit System)
NCTS is a customs electronic transit system. Goods can be transported undeclared in the Union customs transit system, when they are imported into the European Union or are transported via the Union and Efta. The movement of goods under these transit procedures are monitored electronically and more efficiently than before with the NCTS. In the NCTS, the customer submits a transit declaration to Customs either electronically by using an EDI message or under the fallback procedure with a paper SAD form.

OLAF (European Anti-fraud Office)
The mission of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is to safeguard the financial interests of the European Union by combating fraud, corruption and other illegal activities; also within EU’s institutions.

PCB
The cooperation between the Police, Customs and the Border Guard.

Portnet
A data system for port call notifications by vessel traffic. The system is used by Customs, brokers, maritime authorities, forwarding agencies, port operators and the Border Guard.

PoUS (Proof of Union Status)
A new trans-European IT system planned by the EU for declarations proving the customs status of Union goods.

RAPEX (Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Non-Food Products)
A rapid alert system for consumer goods. The contact point in Finland is the Finnish Safety and Chemical Agency (Tukes). Part of the system are the Member States of the European Union, the Commission and some other countries. By using the system, Member States can be notified quickly of dangers to health and property caused by consumer goods. In addition to consumer goods, the system also includes products for professional use and products that cause a risk to the environment.

RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed)
A rapid alert system for food and feed. The contact point in Finland is the Finnish Food Authority. Part of the system are the Member States of the European Union, the Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Through the system, Member States can be notified quickly of foods or feed, which can cause a direct or an indirect danger to human health.

REX (The Registered Exporter system)
The REX system is an EU database where exporters, who issue statements and declarations of origin, must register.

SA (Self-Assessment)
Self-assessment, i.e. the declarant can personally assesses the customs duties and customs control connected to the declaration.

SAD (Single Administrative Document).
A single administrative document that works as a customs declaration.
The SAD form is used for import clearance, placing goods under a customs warehousing procedure or for proving the Union status of goods. For exportation and transit, the form is only used in exceptional circumstances.

Spake
Electronic Service Centre. Spake processes electronic customs declaration messages, such as declarations for import, export, arrival and exit, and answers questions by customers relating to them.

TAD (Transit Accompanying Document)
Transit accompanying document that accompanies goods to the office of destination.

TARIC (The integrated Tariff of the European Union)
Taric means the integrated customs tariff of the EU. The Taric database is a multilingual database, which includes all legislative measures of the EU regarding customs, trade and agriculture. Taric does not contain data on national taxes and charges, such as VAT and excise duty.

TAXUD (Taxation and Customs Union Directorate-General)
The European Commission’s main division of customs and tax matters.

TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers)
International customs agreement/Transit system for transporting goods.

TORO (Transfer of Rights and Obligations)
Transferring of rights and obligations from the holder responsible for the customs procedure to another operator who can be used for end-use customs procedures as well as for other procedures.

UCC (Union Customs Code)
More information on regulation abbreviations: EU customs legislation

UTU
The new customs clearance and tariff system of Finnish Customs. The implementation is part of a trans-European comprehensive reform of customs clearance systems.

WCO (World Customs Organization)
The World Customs Organization, founded in 1952, aims to harmonise the implementation of conventions under its administration and to simplify customs procedures globally.
Participating in this activity are 182 countries, and their part of the world trade is 98 per cent.

WP (Work Programme)
EU’s work programme, i.e. a decision on a work programme connected to the Union Customs Code and establishing ‘dates of deployment’ of the declaration systems required by the renewed legislation.

WTO (World Trade Organization)
The World Trade Organization is an international organisation for cooperative trade policies, the main goal being the deregulation of international trade. Part of the organisation is 164 countries.

                            

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Customs Information Service