Customs authorisation · Value, origin and tariff
Binding tariff information (BTI): settling the classification before the audit
A nomenclature code is a judgement, not a fact. A BTI turns it into a decision binding in all 27 Member States, for three years. It is free, and it remains widely under-used.
What a BTI actually secures
Classification determines the duty rate, but also the measures that apply: anti-dumping, licences, health controls, dual use. A wrong code therefore does not only cost duty arrears, it can make an operation unlawful.
As long as the code rests on your own judgement, even in good faith, it remains open to challenge in a subsequent audit, and the reassessment reaches back in time. A BTI shifts that risk: the administration commits itself, and it does so in all 27 Member States.
A BTI binds you too
This is the side people forget. A BTI is not only protection: once you hold one, you must quote its reference on your declarations and apply it. You cannot leave it in a drawer because you dislike the classification you obtained.
A second limit worth knowing: only the holder can rely on it. A subsidiary cannot invoke the parent company's BTI. If you import the same product through several legal entities, you need as many BTIs as entities.
What you need to provide
One application per type of goods. The quality of the description decides the time frame as much as the answer.
- The detailed description : composition, materials, manufacturing method, function and intended use.
- The technical documentation : product sheets, drawings, analyses, photographs.
- The code you have in mind, and the reasoning that leads to it under the general rules of interpretation.
- Any classifications already obtained for similar products.
- The elements you want treated as confidential : BTI decisions are published in the European database.
Do not send a sample unprompted. Wait for the administration to ask for it, and state in the application whether you want it returned: failing that, it is not.
The pitfalls
- Describing the product as in a sales catalogue. The administration classifies one item, not a range. A marketing description produces an inadmissible application or an unusable classification.
- Applying for a BTI to confirm a code you have used for years. If the answer differs, it applies going forward, and it casts light on the past. That choice is weighed before filing, not after.
- Forgetting that the decision is published. Your competitors consult the European database. Anything covered by business secrecy must be flagged as confidential in the application.
- Relying on the parent company's BTI to clear goods in the name of a subsidiary.
- Not anticipating the end of validity. A BTI can also be invalidated before term by a classification regulation or a change to the combined nomenclature.
- Sending a sample unprompted, and without asking for it back.
When a BTI stops being valid
A change to the nomenclature, a classification regulation or a ruling of the Court of Justice can invalidate your BTI before its three years are up. This is not a rare accident: it is how an evolving tariff works.
In that case a period of extended use can be granted, of around six months, provided you ask quickly and can show ongoing contracts. It does not cover everything: goods subject to an import or export certificate are excluded. It is a window to clear stock or honour an order, not an extension as of right.
What we do, and what we do not do
Included: classification analysis against the general rules of interpretation, the section and chapter notes and the case law, assessment of whether filing is advisable in the light of your history, drafting of the technical description, decisions on confidentiality, assembly of the file and follow-up of the examination.
Not included: filing the application on the client's behalf unless expressly mandated, the classification decision, which belongs to the administration, laboratory analyses, 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
How long should I allow?
Thirty days for the administration to rule on admissibility, then up to 120 days of examination. The period can be suspended if a laboratory analysis is needed or if Member States are discussing the classification. A BTI is therefore not something you apply for the day before a shipment.
Can I apply for one BTI covering several products?
No. An application covers one type of goods. If your range includes variants that classify differently, you need as many applications as there are possible classifications — and that sorting work is exactly what has to be done before filing.
And if I do not like the classification I get?
It is binding on you. That is why the question is settled before filing: a BTI applied for without prior analysis can lock in a less favourable code than the one you were using, and draw attention to past years.
A code that looks arguable to you?
Thirty minutes, with no commitment, to look at one of your references and establish whether a BTI protects you or exposes you.
Free first call (30 min)Sheet updated on 14 September 2026, sources checked with the Belgian FPS Finance and European customs administrations. This sheet is a working reference, not legal advice. See also: the authorisations catalogue, the registered exporter REX, our customs diagnostic.