AEO holders in the Netherlands are more likely to be allocated in green or yellow clearance lanes during the customs clearance process, whereas traders that do not have an AEO license, are more likely to be allocated the blue lane due to the increased risk of non-compliance.
As volumes of cargo shipments continue to grow in The Netherlands, strictly monitoring will be required on blue lane shipments to ensure that authorities are able to protect the EU from illegal shipments.
If you do not have an AEO status, it does not mean that you are assumed to be a smuggler. It only means that your company is an unknown in the eyes of customs, compared to a AEO-status holder.
The flow of goods involves reliable market participants who have their businesses in order, so customs can focus on organisations who do not appear to be performing as well as the rest.
Therefore, customs clearance lanes are allocated according to the risk level of the shipment in question.
What are the customs clearance lanes?
The green clearance lane is allocated to shipments where every member of the chain is known and trusted with an AEO-status, allowing easier processing.
The yellow lane is allocated for movements where there is a level of trust, such as through the Safe and Secure Trade Lanes (SAFE) network or CORe (Consistently Optimized Resilient Secure Global Supply Chains networks, but not every supply chain participant in the shipment has an AEO licence and verified as per those that would be granted the green lane.
The blue lane is for shipments which do not have an AEO license and therefor unknown to customs authorities. These riskier shipments are more likely to be pulled for inspection.
As the need to more efficiently focus resources increases with cargo flows and customs clearance administrative volumes, the AEO trust mark will continue to grow in relevance. If you do not have an AEO license, we recommend to apply for one as soon as possible.
Do you have questions on Authorised Economic Operators in The Netherlands?
If you have questions about how Authorised Economic Operators in The Netherlands will affect you going forward, help obtaining an AEO certificate, support with your application, or with an AEO audit, please contact one of our specialists.
