What does Binding Rate Information stand for?

Note: this content is translated from Dutch for information purposes only. 

What does BTI stand for?
BTI stands for Binding Tariff Information. BTI is an agreement between shipper and customs on the commodity code applied by customs. This code is based on a Combined Nomenclature compiled by the European Union. The Binding Tariff Information records the agreement between shipper and customs.

If an interested party wants to know which commodity code of the customs nomenclature applies to goods he wants to import or export, he can ask the customs authorities to specify that commodity code. Customs then finds it out for him and issues a Binding Tariff Information. The BTI also states that the right holder has the option to object to the BTI issued.

A commodity code is a multi-digit code used by customs worldwide to classify products. By including commodity codes in your customs declaration, customs knows which products your import or export shipment contains. The commodity code also tells customs in the destination country how much import duties and other import taxes they must levy on the import product, since import duties differ per product (and thus per commodity code). Furthermore, a commodity code indicates whether non-financial measures apply to the import and export of a product. Think for example of the obligation of export or import licenses, health certificates or other documents. If you want to trace the commodity code of your product yourself, you can find it on the customs website.

The European Commission records all BTIs issued by customs authorities in a database. These authorities can consult the BTIs in the database. The European Commission's website contains information, accessible to the public, on BTIs. A BTI is valid for a period of 3 years.

Rotra has its own customs department with specialists who are happy to provide smooth and accurate handling of all your shipments subject to customs formalities. Above all, Rotra ' s customs department is AEO certified. Would you like further information from one of our customs department specialists or would you prefer to use our expertise and services directly? Get in touch.