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.
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 that have grown their import or export activity faster than their customs procedures, organisations preparing for an audit or authorisation application, and importers who have received queries or post-clearance demands.
Declaration accuracy review
Sampling entries and testing the classification, valuation and origin data behind them.
Procedure review
How instructions, data and approvals flow between commercial, logistics and customs functions.
Record-keeping assessment
Whether the records customs requires can be produced on demand and retained for the required period.
Findings and remediation plan
Prioritised findings with the corrective actions, owners and sequence needed to address them.
Who performs the work: TCSA or a member provider, depending on the jurisdictions involved and the size of the operation. We confirm which before the review begins.
Limits: A review is an assessment, not a legal opinion, and it does not replace a customs authority audit. Voluntary disclosures and duty repayments are handled as separate projects with their own scope.
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.
- Countries where declarations are made
- Approximate annual declaration volume
- Customs regimes and authorisations currently used
- Whether an audit, query or demand prompted the review
- Systems holding the declaration and commercial data
- Preferred review period
What happens next
The same four steps apply whatever the service. Timings are agreed with you rather than promised up front.
- 01
Scoping
We agree the jurisdictions, the period and the sample to be reviewed.
- 02
Review
Declarations, procedures and records are examined against the requirements that apply.
- 03
Findings
Findings are presented with their risk and the corrective action each requires.
- 04
Remediation
Corrective work is carried out under a separate agreed scope where you want TCSA to handle it.
What affects the price
A review is priced on the number of jurisdictions, the declaration volume in scope and the sample size agreed at scoping. The enquiry itself is free; the review is quoted before it starts.
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
Reviews are delivered for the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States.
Availability on a specific lane, site or regime is confirmed during review.
Who handles the work
Reviews are carried out by staff with customs practice experience across UK, EU and North American regimes, using a documented methodology so findings are reproducible.
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
Tariff classification
Classification determines the duty rate, the controls and the origin rules that apply to a product. Getting it wrong is one of the most common sources of post-clearance demand, and one of the easiest to put right.
Customs valuation
Duty is charged on the customs value of the goods, which is not always the invoice price. Royalties, assists, freight, insurance and related-party transactions all affect the figure and are frequently handled incorrectly.
Rules of origin and preference
Origin determines whether a preferential duty rate is available and what evidence supports the claim. It is assessed on the product's inputs and processing, not on where it was shipped from.
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.