AEO authorisation support
Authorised Economic Operator status is a customs authorisation granted to businesses that meet standards on records, solvency and compliance. Preparing an application is largely about being able to evidence those standards.
Depending on your requirements, this service may be delivered by TCSA or a suitable member provider. We will identify the proposed provider before you proceed.
What this covers
Businesses whose customers require AEO status of their suppliers, organisations applying for the first time, and holders preparing for the periodic re-assessment of their authorisation.
Readiness assessment
A gap analysis against the criteria for the authorisation you are applying for.
Self-assessment questionnaire
Support completing the questionnaire and gathering the evidence it requires.
Evidence preparation
Procedures, records and controls assembled so they can be demonstrated on inspection.
Application support
Assistance through the application and any follow-up questions from the authority.
Who performs the work: TCSA or a member provider with authorisation experience in the jurisdiction concerned. We confirm which before the work starts.
Limits: Only the customs authority grants the authorisation and conducts the audit. TCSA does not guarantee an outcome, and no fee depends on the application succeeding.
How membership and accreditation differInformation to have ready
None of this is required to send an enquiry. It helps us confirm the appropriate route and the scope faster.
- Authorisation type being applied for
- Country of application
- Current customs authorisations held
- Whether a previous application was refused or withdrawn
- Records and systems currently in place
- Target submission date
What happens next
The same four steps apply whatever the service. Timings are agreed with you rather than promised up front.
- 01
Readiness
We assess the business against the criteria and set out the gaps.
- 02
Remediation
The gaps are closed, with procedures and records put in place where they are missing.
- 03
Application
The questionnaire and supporting evidence are assembled for submission.
- 04
Audit support
We support you through the authority's assessment and any follow-up.
What affects the price
Charges depend on the authorisation type and the gaps identified. Readiness assessment and full application support are separate scopes with separate quotations.
Submitting the enquiry is free. The service itself is quoted before any work begins.
Who delivers the work, and therefore who sets the rate, is confirmed with your quotation.
Where this is available
Support is available for the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the Netherlands.
Availability on a specific lane, site or regime is confirmed during review.
Who handles the work
Support is delivered by staff familiar with the authorisation criteria and the evidence an assessment expects, with member providers used where jurisdiction-specific experience is needed.
Membership of TCSA is not a statutory licence, and neither membership nor accreditation guarantees the performance of any provider. Scope and charges are agreed with you before work begins.
Questions about this service
Related services
Customs compliance review
A structured review of how an organisation handles customs: the data behind its declarations, the procedures it follows and the records it keeps. It identifies where errors are arising and what to fix first.
Export controls and sanctions screening
Export controls restrict what may be sent to whom, and for what end use. Sanctions add restrictions on parties, sectors and destinations. Both apply to intangible transfers as well as physical shipments, and both change frequently.
Managed procurement
Managed procurement is for requirements that cannot be met by a single provider or a single service — multiple locations, several services, or a supplier selection that needs to be run properly. TCSA reviews the brief, assesses the market and presents the options.
The process
How an enquiry works
Find customs, freight and trade services through TCSA. Tell us what you need and we will review your enquiry, connect you with suitable member providers, or confirm whether TCSA can deliver the service directly. Submitting an enquiry does not book work or accept a quotation, and does not guarantee that a provider is available.
- 01
Choose a service and tell us what you need
Pick the service that fits and describe the requirement. It takes a couple of minutes.
- 02
TCSA reviews the requirement
We confirm the appropriate next step: a member provider, a TCSA-delivered service, or a managed sourcing process.
- 03
The agreed route responds
Suitable member providers or the TCSA team respond according to the route you agreed to.
- 04
You decide whether to proceed
Review the scope, the provider and the pricing before committing to anything.
Membership
What members get on services
You do not need to be a member to enquire. Membership changes the rate you pay and the way opportunities are routed to you as a provider.
For buyers
- Preferential rates on eligible services, confirmed with your quotation.
- Eligibility checked against your membership record, not a self-declaration.
- One enquiry route covering customs, freight, compliance and inspections.
For member providers
- Enquiries matched to your stated services, countries and language capability.
- Only enquiries you are assigned to are visible to you, in the Member Portal.
- Your details are shared only where the customer has permitted it.
Buying a service has no bearing on accreditation. Accreditation is assessed separately against published criteria.