Customs classification risk begins with a decision made once, usually early, often by whoever set up the product record first, and then relied on for every subsequent shipment under that code, sometimes for years, until a post-clearance audit reopens it and applies the correct rate retrospectively across the full transaction history the business can no…
General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) are the rules for determining the appropriate commodity code of a product. The accurate classification of a product requires a sound understanding of these rules. These rules have legal values and are usually part of Customs legislation around the world. As Customs classification remains to biggest area of dispute with Customs authorities and is part of the business Customs compliance obligations, this article explains the principles behind the rules and how to apply them.
Customs classification is usually assigned to whoever sets up the product record first, and rarely revisited once assigned. That allocation of responsibility reflects how classification is perceived inside most organisations, as an administrative input to the import process, rather than what it actually is: the single decision that determines duty rate, VAT treatment, licensing exposure,…