Instruments and Tools

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The WCO is fundamental to the development of international standards and the promotion of their implementation in order to facilitate legal trade, secure fair revenue collection and protect society, which subsequently converts into economic prosperity.

The WCO must conduct its activities with the aim of ensuring that Customs administrations, as its main stakeholders, benefit from the development and updating of international standards, and promote the adoption of those standards in the interests of more secure, legitimate trade and fair revenue collection. The promotion and use of WCO key Packages, namely the Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP), the Revenue Package (RP), the Compliance and Enforcement Package (CEP), and the Organizational Development Package (ODP), will be crucial with regard to the development, update and implementation of international standards.

The WCO will develop and update instruments and tools to unlock the significant potential of modernizing Customs procedures through the implementation of IT solutions, moving towards efficient Customs procedures as those that promote the facilitation of legitimate trade through an effective risk management strategy. These tools form part of the Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP).

The principles laid down in the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) are recognized as forming the core of the ECP and as the basis of all modern Customs procedures. The ECP comprises the RKC, the RKC Toolkit and relevant tools.

ECP Toolkit and WTO Trade Facilitation Toolkit

The ECP Toolkit and the Trade Facilitation Toolkit show how the existing WCO tools fully support the implementation of all Customs-related measures in the WTO TFA. Members are encouraged to promote and implement the RKC and the ECP as the major implementation tools for trade facilitation and also in support of the implementation of the WTO TFA.

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Instrument and Tool

Developed or Last Updated in

1

AEO Compendium

2020

2

AEO Implementation and Validation Guidance

May 2010

3

AEO Validator Guide

June 2018

4

Analysis of Section I of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)

September 2016

5

API Guidelines

2014

6

ATA Convention

December 1961

7

ATA Convention Handbook

2002

8

Authorized Economic Operator and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (AEO and SMEs) FAQ  

May 2010

9

Compendium of Best Practices in the Area of Transit

June 2020

10

Compendium on Building a Single Window environment

2017

11

Compendium on Coordinated Border Management

June 2019

12

Customs Brokers Guidelines

June 2018

13

Customs Business Partnership Guidance

June 2015

14

Customs Convention on Containers Handbook

February 2017

15

Customs Convention on Containers, 1972

December 1975
(entry into force)

16

Customs Guidelines on Integrated Supply Chain Management (ISCM)

June 2018

17

Customs International Benchmarking Manual

2003

18

Customs-Financial Intelligence Units Cooperation Handbook

April 2019

19

Data Model Version 3.10

December 2020

20

Derived Information Package (DIP) on Advance Electronic Information (AEI) (Inside WCO DM version 3.10.0)

 

21

Diagnostic Tool on Tariff Classification, Valuation and Origin Work and Related Infrastructure (Members Only)

October 2016

22

E-Commerce Framework of Standards

June 2018

23

E-Commerce Package

June 2019 and December 2020

24

Free Zone Guidance

December 2020

25

Globally Networked Customs Handbook

July 2016

26

Glossary of International Customs Terms  

December 2018

27

Guidance for Customs administrations in Small Island Economies (SIEs)

December 2020

28

Guide to the Exchange of Customs Valuation Information (Members only)

May 2003

29

Guidelines for Strengthening Cooperation and the Exchanging of Information between Customs and Tax Authorities at the National Level

October 2016

30

Guidelines for the Procurement and Deployment of Scanning/NII Equipment

September 2020

31

Guidelines on Customs Infrastructure for Tariff Classification, Valuation and Origin (Members only)

June 2015

32

Guidelines on Trader Identification Number (TIN)

June 2018

33

Handbook on Data Analysis (Members only)

June 2018

34

Handbook on Inward and Outward Processing Procedures

May 2017

35

ICT Guidelines

March 2014

36

Immediate Release Guidelines

June 2018

37

Implementation Guidance for Section I of the TFA

 

38

Instruments and Tools on Integrity

June 2019

39

International Convention on the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures (REVISED KYOTO CONVENTION)

1999

40

Istanbul Convention

June 1990

41

Istanbul Convention Handbook

November 2000

42

IT Guide for Executives

June 2018

43

Kyoto Communiqué

December 2012

44

Mercator Programme Report

June 2020

45

Model AEO Appeal Procedures

2010

46

Model Bilateral Agreement 

June 2004

47

Model Business Lens Checklist for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises 

December 2014

48

Nairobi Convention 

1977

49

National Committees on Trade Facilitation - A WCO Guidance

March 2016

50

Origin Database

May 2011

51

Post-Clearance Audit Guidelines I

June 2018

52

Post-Clearance Audit Guidelines II (Members only)

June 2018

53

Practical Guidelines for Valuation Control (Members only) 

June 2018

54

Recommendation (1990) concerning the Use of the UN/EDIFACT 

1990

55

Recommendation (1990) concerning the Use of the UNTDED 

1990

56

Recommendation (1996) on the Introduction of Programmes for Binding Pre-Entry Classification Information 

June 1996

57

Recommendation (1998) on the Improvement of Tariff Classification Work and Related Infrastructures 

June 1998

58

Recommendation (1999) on the Use of the World Wide Web Sites by Customs Administrations

1999

59

Recommendation (2001) on the Application of HS Committee Decisions 

June 2001

60

Recommendation (2009) concerning the Use of the WCO Data Model 

2009

61

Recommendation (2012) on the Dematerialization of Supporting Documents 

2012

62

Recommendation of the Customs Cooperation Council on the Guiding Principles for Data Quality

June 2015

63

Recommendation of the Customs Co-operation Council to Expedite the Forwarding of Relief Consignments in the Event of Disasters

June 1970

64

Recommendation on CSDs

June 2013

65

Reform and Modernization-Monitoring Activities and Projects (RAMMAP) and Single Window Interactive Map (SWIM)
RAMMAP-SWIM

 

66

Research Paper on The Contribution of Customs to Economic Competitiveness

 

67

Resolution of the Customs Co-operation Council on the Role of Customs in Natural Disaster Relief

June 2011

68

Revised Arusha Declaration Implementation Resources center (integrity toolkit)

November 2020

69

Revised Arusha Declaration on Good Governance and Integrity in Customs

2003

70

Risk Management Compendium I

June 2011

71

Risk Management Compendium II (Members only)

Published in June 2011, then new modules were developed

72

RKC Self-check table of compliance of the provisions of the Specific Annexes of RKC (Members only)

2013

73

RKC Self-check table of the provisions and information on the RKC General Annex (Members only)

2013

74

RKC Tool Kit for Quality Implementation Assessment (Members only)

2013

75

SAFE Data Element Maintenance Mechanism

2010

76

SAFE Framework of Standards

June 2018

77

SAFE Package

June 2018

78

Strategy Guide for AEO Mutual Recognition

June 2018

79

Study Report on Cross-Border E-Commerce

March 2017

80

Study Report on Customs Brokers

June 2016

81

Study Report on Disruptive Technologies

June 2019

82

Technical Guidelines on Advance Ruling for Classification, Origin and Valuation (Members only)

June 2018

83

Time Release Study (TRS) Guide – Version 3

2018

84

Trade Recovery Guidelines 

2010

85

Transit Guidelines

2017

86

Transit Handbook 

2014

87

Transparency and Predictability Guidelines

July 2016

88

Unique Consignment Reference (UCR)

2004

89

Use of the ICT – WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation

June 2018

90

User Manual Internet Software for the TRS (Members only)

 

91

Voluntary Compliance Framework 

 

92

WCO Integrity Newsletter

Semi-annually

93

WCO IPR self-assessment tool for Members

January 2020

94

WCO/ICAO Brochure - Moving Air Cargo Globally - Air Cargo and Mail Secure Supply Chain and Facilitation Guidelines

June 2013

95

WCO–UPU guidelines on the exchange of electronic advance data (EAD) between designated operators and customs administrations

June 2019
(adopted by the WCO Council)

96

WCO-UPU Guidelines for Developing a Memorandum of Understanding Between Customs and Post at National Level (Members only)

June 2014

97

WCO-UPU Postal Customs Guide

June 2018

98

WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and the WCO Mercator Programme Approach to Implementation

2014