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For export operations to some countries which have entered into preferential agreements with the EU, companies can take advantage of customs exemptions, provided they have been granted the status of Approved Exporter. This particular status is granted by customs authorities subsequent to a rather complex application procedure, which is then followed by an audit at the premises of the applying company. The status of Approved Exporter is mainly applied for by companies carrying out regular export operations to South Korea. Provisions related to the status of Approved Exporter are given in the Protocol concerning the definition of originating products and methods of administrative cooperation, which is annexed to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and South Korea.   Briefly:

• products originating in Europe or in South Korea and being exported benefit from preferential tariff treatment, provided they are accompanied by an origin declaration issued by an exporter. In the origin declaration the products shall be described in sufficient details so as to allow their identification (Art. 15). Annex III to the Protocol mentioned above contains the text of the origin declaration to be issued by the exporter;
• the origin declaration can be drawn up by an Approved Exporter, or any other exporter, for any consignment consisting of one or more packages containing products originating in the European Union (or in South Korea, the other party of the Agreement) whose total value does not exceed 6.000 euros (Art. 16);

• to become an Approved Exporter an exporter must provide customs authorities with all guarantees necessary to verify the originating status of the products and keep the relevant documents. Customs authorities (Regional Customs Authorities for Italy) shall then grant to the Approved Exporter a customs authorization number which shall appear on the origin declaration (Art. 17).

The overall process takes about 60 days. Moreover, according to Circular n. 227 of 7th December 2000 issued by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (Department of Customs and Customs Inspection Services), for any new Agreement drawn up by the European Union with an individual country, a specific application is required to obtain the status of Approved Exporter. The authorization shall be granted by the appropriate office, possibly by extending the existing authorization if the applicant is already qualified. Finally, Circular n. 97 of 29th April 1999 issued by the Italian Customs Agency (which is referred to by Circular n. 54/D of 1st October 2004) reminds applicants the possibility of periodical audits on the activities carried out by an Approved Exporter to ensure the authorization is appropriately managed. Thanks to the solid experience gained in this field, we at TWS can take care of all necessary formalities on behalf of our clients with competence, readiness and reliability.