The European Commission is updating customs rules to formally establish the terms under which aircraft are eligible for temporary admission (TA) to the European Union (EU). From July 16, aircraft owners will no longer be required to complete customs paperwork when crossing the EU’s external border.
According to aviation customs expert Opmas, the change to the EU customs code formalizes what is a long-standing established common practice through which authorities have accepted that the filing of a flight plan to a customs airport constitutes a declaration of entry to the EU for TA purposes. Similarly, filing a flight plan to exit the EU from a customs airport constitutes an acceptable declaration to establish that an aircraft has not remained beyond the permitted limits of customs rules.
The change is confirmed in a new paragraph added to Article 141(d) of the EU Customs Code. In guidance issued on July 2, Opmas stressed that aircraft operators still need to be ready to provide supporting evidence of an aircraft’s TA status in case it is required. This can be based on flight logs or a supporting document.
All aircraft flying into the EU must do so either under TA conditions or full importation. TA status can only be used by entities and aircraft owned, operated, registered, and based outside the EU.