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Authorized Exporter(AE) & Registered Exporter (EE, also known as REX) authorizations are customs facilities that enable customs duties on products of preferential origin to be reduced or eliminated under Free Trade Agreements.
What is a free trade agreement?
A free trade agreement is an agreement between two or more countries to facilitate trade between them. Under certain conditions, these agreements provide tariff preferences.
The aim of free trade agreements is to remove tariff barriers (customs duties) and non-tariff barriers (formalities) to trade between two countries or groups of countries, depending on the origin of the goods.
Free trade agreements can be :
- unilateral: preferences apply in one direction only → aid for developing countries (Generalized Scheme of Preferences - GSP)
- bilateral or multilateral: reciprocity of preferences → development of trade within an area (CETA, Mercosur, Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention, etc.).
How to benefit from tariff preferences?
Benefiting from the preferential arrangements established by free trade agreements is subject to presentation of proof of origin, which must, in principle, be presented at the time of customs clearance.
There are several ways to justify the preferential origin of a good. The 3 main ones are
- EUR1 (or EUR-MED): This is a paper document, issued on departure of the goods, for each export requiring it.
- Declaration of origin on a commercial document (usually the invoice) for shipments under €6,000.
- The declaration of origin incorporating the Authorized Exporter (AE) or Registered Exporter (RE) customs authorization number for shipments exceeding €6,000.
What are the advantages of Authorized Exporter & Registered Exporter status?
Obtaining Authorized Exporter or Registered Exporter status simplifies transport, and in particular export and import customs clearance procedures. Thanks to dematerialized formalities, exporters can prove the preferential origin of their goods, with no limit on value, and avoid having to issue a paper document for each shipment. It guarantees its customers the benefit of tariff preferences agreed under free trade agreements.
How to become an Authorized Exporter & Registered Exporter?
In France, applications are made online via the SOPRANO platform.
Approved Exporter (EA) & Registered Exporter (EE, also known as REX) authorizations are issued with a unique authorization/registration number.
Once an exporter holds such a number, he or she can certify the preferential origin of the products by including a specific statement on the invoice or other commercial document identifying the exported products, known as a declaration or attestation of origin.
This statement generally reads as follows:
- "The exporter of the products covered by this document (customs authorization n°..../....) declares that, unless clearly indicated otherwise, these products have preferential origin...".
What are the differences between Authorized Exporter & Registered Exporter?
EA & EE status should not be confused.
In fact, even if the names are similar, these two statuses fall within two different frameworks, with different applications & advantages.
The main differences lie in :
- countries of application: the majority of free trade agreements operate with one or the other status. EE status cannot be substituted for EA status and vice versa.
- type of agreement: While EA status is generally required for bilateral agreements, the same is not true for EE status (REX).
- alternative solutions: countries with EA status issue a document (EUR1) to justify preferential origin when the exporter is not approved. Under EE status, there is no Plan B. If the exporter is not registered, the importer cannot benefit from the preferential tariff, if applicable.
Note that EE/REX status is more recent than EA status. A database of registered operators is available.
