Following our information seminars and in a change to our regular column, in this issue Andrea Head, the Authorised Economic Operator national expert from HMRC, answers a question about the new AEO status.
Q. We would like to explore the applicability of AEO in a couple of areas:
- To the air freight environment - especially where the company has existing validations under other regimes e.g. Known Consignor; VOSA Vehicle Security; List X
- When almost all of the company's outbound traffic is routed/nominated
A. Any accreditation held by a business will be taken into account where appropriate. It is unlikely that they will meet all the AEO criteria or cover the whole business operation/sites/products. The visiting officer will need to check the details when attending the premises.
An AEO still has responsibility for goods whilst they are under its control. In such circumstances HMRC will need to consider what controls or procedures are in place to ensure, for example, that the driver can be recognised and that access to route information is secure.
If you have any questions about applying for AEO status you can email aeoteam@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. For other queries, SITPRO’s Trade Procedures Helpdesk is available as usual on 020 7215 8150 or at helpdesk@sitpro.org.uk.
Return to SITPRO News: Issue 65, Summer 2008
