Customs authorisation · Value, origin and tariff
Binding origin information (BOI): settling origin before you rely on it
Origin is not the country of dispatch. It is the result of a rule applied to a manufacturing process, and that rule is arguable. A BOI settles it in writing, for three years, and binds the administration throughout the Union.
Two origins, two administrations
This is the first question to settle, and in Belgium it has an immediate practical consequence.
Thenon-preferential origin origin is the economic nationality of the goods. It governs trade policy measures: anti-dumping duties, quotas, restrictions, marking. In Belgium, BOI applications on that ground are filed with the FPS Economy.
Thepreferential origin origin decides whether you get a reduced or zero rate under an agreement. Those applications are filed with the FPS Finance, customs and excise.
Filing with the wrong administration does not cost a few days: it costs the full examination period, to be started again elsewhere.
What a BOI does not do
A BOI replaces neither a certificate of origin, nor a proof of origin, nor a supplier's declaration. It does not release you from providing proof of origin at the time of the operation.
It settles the rule, not the paperwork. In other words: it tells you your product does originate, and it binds the administration on that point; it does not exempt you from producing the document that evidences it on every consignment. This is the most frequent confusion, and it is paid for on arrival.
What you need to provide
The application is made in writing and covers one product and one set of circumstances, not a range.
- The nature and composition of the finished product.
- The manufacturing method, step by step, with the place of each operation.
- The nomenclature codes of the materials used and their origin.
- The value ratios between the materials, where the applicable origin rule rests on a value criterion.
- Your suppliers' declarations, where they exist.
- The list rule you consider applicable, and the preferential relation concerned where relevant.
The quality of that description decides everything: a BOI is valid only for the goods expressly described in it, and the goods declared must match.
The pitfalls
- Changing the recipe. Any change to the composition or to the manufacturing process can invalidate the BOI. A supplier that changes, a material substituted, a step relocated: you need a new one.
- Believing it replaces the proof of origin. It secures it, it does not replace it.
- Filing with the wrong administration as between preferential and non-preferential origin.
- Counting on the six-month extension when exporting. When a BOI ceases to be valid, extended use of six months is possible for firm contracts already concluded — except where the decision covers goods intended for export. The exporter therefore has no such safety net.
- Describing a range. A BOI is valid only for the product expressly described and for the set of circumstances set out.
- Forgetting to quote it in the customs declaration when relying on it.
BOI, BTI, REX: which one for what
The three are often confused, yet they answer three distinct questions.
- The binding tariff information settles under which heading your goods are classified.
- The BOI settles where they come from in customs law.
- The status ofregistered exporter allows you to certify that origin yourself on your commercial documents.
They combine: a BOI that establishes origin, a REX status that lets you certify it, and a BTI that fixes the classification on which the applicable origin rule depends.
What we do, and what we do not do
Included: determining the applicable origin rule for the relation concerned, reconstructing the manufacturing process and the value ratios, collecting and checking your suppliers' declarations, directing the application to the competent administration, drafting the file and following up the examination.
Not included: filing the application on the client's behalf unless expressly mandated, the decision, which belongs to the administration, the drawing up of proofs of origin on each consignment, and the lodging of customs declarations.
CTB Group steers customs compliance and governance; the lodging of declarations remains with the representatives appointed by the company.
Frequently asked questions
Does a BOI release me from providing proof of origin?
No. It establishes that your product originates and binds the administration on that point, but the proof of origin still has to be drawn up on every consignment, in the form provided for by the applicable agreement.
Preferential or non-preferential: how do I know which to apply for?
By the question you are asking. If what is at stake is a reduced rate under an agreement, it is preferential origin. If it is an anti-dumping duty, a quota, a restriction or marking, it is non-preferential. In Belgium these are not the same counters.
And if I change my product after obtaining the BOI?
It stops covering the goods. A change of supplier, of material or of the place of one manufacturing step can be enough. That is why a BOI is thought through with your purchasing function, not only with your customs desk.
Do you know where your product really comes from?
Thirty minutes, with no commitment, to walk through the manufacturing process of one of your references and see what the origin rule says about it.
Free first call (30 min)Sheet updated on 14 September 2026, sources checked with the Belgian FPS Finance, FPS Economy and the European Commission. This sheet is a working reference, not legal advice. See also: the authorisations catalogue, our solutions for exporters.