Customs authorisations for everything from 19 April: how to undergo the transition period without stress and losses

Amendments to the customs legislation, which come into effect on 19 April, significantly transform the Customs’ permit system for certain types of activities and application of customs regimes. Standard permits for business, which remained in force almost 13 years, will be replaced by authorisations. These envisage an extended period for consideration and numerous requirements compliance with which should be confirmed to acquire them. On 14 April, we conducted an online meeting with experts from Customs Regulation and International Trade practice of PwC in Ukraine: “Customs authorisations for everything from 19 April: how to undergo the transition period without stress and losses” to help business adapt to these fundamental changes.

During the meeting, our experts Vita Miroshnychenko, Head of Customs Regulation and International Trade practice, Pavlo Herasymiuk, Manager, Daria Tsvitsynska, Senior Consultant, and Mariia Ishchenko, Senior Consultant, deep dived into the customs legislative amendments related to key differences between standard permits and new authorisations and the procedure for acquiring and applying new customs authorisations, as well as gave practical advice on a smoother transition period. 

Pavlo Herasymiuk expanded on the latest customs law developments related to changes in respect of authorisations for certain types of activities and application of customs regimes, including processing in the customs territory of Ukraine. He also commented on the specifics of completion of a self-assessment questionnaire that is now required for all types of authorisations and emphasised the importance of ongoing compliance by companies with the conditions and criteria of authorisations acquired previously or to be acquired under the new rules. 

The criteria and procedure for acquiring authorisations, including those for keepers of temporary storage warehouses and bonded warehouses and customs brokers were detailed by Daria Tsvitsynska. According to her, companies that have already acquired authorisations for the AEO or application of certain simplifications will be able to acquire most new types of authorisations through the criteria offset. Daria also provided a practical overview of the updated process for filing application forms having considered in detail the requirements to business entities and a list of documents required to be attached to an application form. 

Mariia Ishchenko spoke about recent developments in the process of acquiring an authorisation for placing commodities under the temporary import regime. She highlighted key changes in the process of placing commodities under the above regime and expanded on how an application form should be completed properly to acquire the appropriate authorisation, mentioning that the document is quite long and requires from an applicant to incorporate a large amount of details in the application form.

In addition, Vita Miroshnychenko talked about the preparation for the next stage expected by business in terms of harmonisation of Ukrainian law with the EU legislation – the adoption of the new Customs Code. She also spoke about the practice of acquiring authorisations for processing in the customs territories of the EU and the UK.

The large number of the attendees and a high level of their engagement in the Q&A session confirmed the importance and relevance of the topic of this event.