If you want to import a product from a non European country into the European Union, you need to comply with import rules and taxes.
The Trade Helpdesk is specially designed for businesses based outside the EU or importing into the EU.
You’ll find all you need to know about exporting to the EU, including:
- health, safety and technical standards you’ll need to meet
- customs duties you’ll need to pay at the border
- internal taxes in each of the 28 countries
- the rules of origin that define where a product is from and whether it profits from preferential duty rates
- forms to send with your shipments
Find your way on the Trade Helpdesk through the 6 easy steps for importing into Europe:
- Check the customs code for your product
- Open the search box.
- Browse the classification tree or type a keyword.
- Define your product, the exporting country and the importing country.
- The results for your product are right there:
- Check ‘Requirements’: the health, safety or technical standards your product needs to meet
- Check the ‘Internal taxes’: the VAT or excise duties for your product in the importing country.
- Check ‘Customs duties’:
- the standard rate of EU import duty for your product
- a possibly reduced rate if the exporting country has a trade agreement with the EU or benefits from a preferential scheme
- any quota or antidumping duties
- Check the ‘Rules of origin’ for your product:
- they indicate the minimum processing your product must undergo in your contry to be considered as ‘originating’ there
- the origin depends also on where the inputs you use for your final product are from
- the customs offices at EU borders will verify your origin certificate
- Check the ‘Statistics‘:
- find out how much other countries are already exporting to the EU of your kind of product
- Click on ‘Resources’ to find:
- more on product codes
- chambers of commerce and customs offices in each EU country or
- additional information for your country
