What is the Import Clearance?
Import clearance is the set of customs controls and procedures to which goods entering Spain from a non-EU country must undergo. In other words, if you purchase a good or service in a non-EU country, regardless of whether you are a company or an individual, or whether the goods arrive by sea, land, or air, you will have to undergo import customs clearance. Import clearance is the most difficult and important step in the process of allowing goods to enter the destination country, as a series of processes must be completed before the Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency.
Customs will request a series of data on the importer (buyer), the exporter (seller) and the item to approve the entry of the product into Spain. Depending on the type of merchandise you want to import, Customs will carry out controls and inspections to ensure that it complies with all applicable laws regarding customs duties and taxes, health, quality, and safety.
The Customs Department assigns your goods a channel before the item enters the country.
Customs will assign your merchandise a circuit or channel depending on whether it requires inspection:
- Green channel: goods are allowed to enter without restrictions, only with the necessary paperwork.
- Yellow channel: goods are accepted free of charge after a non-intrusive examination (by scanner) and the inspection service issues the necessary certificate.
- Orange channel: Customs inspection services conduct a thorough examination of all papers before admitting them for processing.
- Red channel: Customs inspection services examine the goods visually and physically and may collect samples for analysis. Depending on the nature of the goods, the inspection may be carried out by Foreign Health, Animal Health, Plant Health, SOIVRE or Pharmacy.
Necessary Documents
To complete the Import Customs Clearance process, you must submit the following documents to the customs authorities:
- Commercial Invoice: includes basic transaction information and is always required for customs clearance.
- Customs value declaration: required only when the imported items exceed €20,000 in value.
- Carriage documents: may include a Sea Bill of Lading (B/L), a FIATA Bill of Lading, a Road Waybill (CMR), an Air Waybill (AWB), or a Railway Bill of Lading (CIM).
- Cargo insurance: Required only when the commercial invoice does not include insurance information for the goods.
- Product list: commercial document containing data on imported products, such as weight, dimensions, and handling instructions.
- Single Administrative Document (SAD): standardized form for the -presentation of import declarations, defined in the Customs Code of the Union (CAU).
Do we perform your import clearance?
Whether you are a company or an individual, Connecta can handle this process for you.
To start processing your import customs clearance, we will need the following:
- Copies of the DNI/NIF
- Commercial Invoice
- Authorization for the clearance of transport documents (we will send you a model)
Connecta’s experts will take care of providing the necessary documentation to Customs so that your goods can enter Spain. We will also take care of any additional documents and services required by Customs for your goods, such as physical examinations or inspections by the different Border Inspection Services. We will keep you informed of all the actions we take and the progress. Connecta’s team of specialists will help you with any customs problems that may arise. Our service will save you unnecessary visits and help you save money and time.
At Connecta we take care of submitting all the proper documentation for the import clearance service at customs and take care of any additional documents or services you may need
As customs brokers, we will computerize the process of the simplified import clearance service of your merchandise and tell you if it enters the green, yellow, orange, or red channel. At Connecta we will manage your import clearance service in a maximum of 24 hours. We will provide you with all the documents, complete all the paperwork and keep you always informed in a transparent manner. We are professional customs brokers who represent you directly with the customs authorities. We handle all customs notifications related to your products.
Connecta has two channels of communication and document transmission:
- By mail to: info@miconnecta.com
- Contact with us
