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When a container is held at customs, the importer’s first reflex is to call the freight forwarder: it must be the paperwork. Sometimes it is. But the other half of the time the goods are not held by customs, but by the product: it is missing CE marking, an EU responsible person or correct labelling. Treating customs and product compliance as two separate things is exactly what lets the hold slip through.
They are checked at the same moment, at the same border
At clearance, customs does not only check whether the invoice matches the packing list and whether the tariff code is correct. It can also require the product to be legal to enter and be sold in the EU: with its Declaration of Conformity, its CE where it applies, its labelling. A product with perfect customs paperwork but no conformity is held all the same — and a compliant one with the wrong tariff code, too. They are two sides of the same shipment, decided at once.
The two sides of the same shipment
Customs side: coherent commercial invoice and packing, correct tariff classification (TARIC), supported customs value and justified origin. That is the customs documentation service.
Product side: a Declaration of Conformity per reference, CE marking where it applies, an EU responsible person (GPSR), labelling and substance limits. That is the product conformity review.
Cover only one side, and the other can hold your container.
The blind spot that lets the hold through
It is no one’s fault in particular, which is why it happens: the freight forwarder looks at the customs documents — that is the job — not the product’s regulatory compliance. The non-EU manufacturer ships the goods assuming they comply. And the importer finds out something was missing once the goods are already held, or once a marketplace pulls the listing. Everyone looks at their part; no one looks at both sides together. That is where it slips.
Why we solve it together (not separately)
We prepare a single file that covers both sides of the same shipment: the customs documentation ready for your freight forwarder, and the product conformity reviewed and signed by a technician. So clearance is not held by the paperwork or by the product — and if a query arrives, on customs or on conformity, we answer. It is not a tool that does one narrow thing: it is an operated service that looks at the whole shipment. Twenty years with importers and forwarders.
How we work
- You send us the shipment. Invoice, packing, transport and whatever you have on the product.
- We review both sides. We classify and build the customs file; we review product conformity (CE, DoC, responsible person, labelling).
- We hand it to you ready. A ZIP for the forwarder plus a conformity report, signed.
- Queries. If customs or an authority asks for something, we resolve it with the argument.
Frequently asked questions
Isn’t a good freight forwarder enough? The forwarder files the clearance with the customs documents; it does not review whether your product meets EU rules. We work with them, covering the side that is not theirs.
My goods are already held — is it customs or product? We review the file and identify the real reason for the hold (tariff code, value, origin… or product conformity) and prepare the response.
Can I contract just one side? Yes: you can take just customs or just conformity. But if you import to sell in the EU, covering both saves you the hold that appears on the side you left out.
Tell us your import
Tell us what you import and from where, and we review both sides of the shipment — customs and product — so neither one holds you.
First import or new product? Start with the Express Advisory: in 48-72 h we tell you what will be asked — at customs and on conformity — before the container ships. Reach us through our contact page.