About customs, love, pizza, the new Union Customs Code and Kafka

„We have a saying in our office: He, who is lucky at customs, is unlucky in love. So jugding by you recent 'luck' with import entries, you must be having the time of your love life now, hm?”, said a customs officer to me yesterday on the phone... :) 

Very frustrating indeed but I do have an impression that to deal with the EU customs one needs more luck than knowledge or experience. If having a customs issue, you ask three agents for a solution and receive three different answers – they are probably all three true and right! It suffies that every agent talked to a different customs officer – and here we are!

Please remember that the law is not made by agents or customs brokers. If an agent emails you for the 10^th time to ask for the 20^th document, needed for a clearance, they are not doing it for fun or to annoy you. They are just conveying messages and requirements from the customs and are just as sick & tired with authorities' whims as you are.

However incredible it sounds, EVERY customs office, at least in Germany, works in a bit different way and officers have some freedom in interpretation of the law. In the meantime, I more or less know what is forbidden and what is allowed in the five customs offices with whom I work most often. Unfortunately, I have no guarantee that these ways of proceeding are going to work with a sixth one. And every other EU country has its own specialities and variations anyway.

On May 1^st 2016, a new Union Customs Code was introduced, as an attempt to unify and standardize customs procedures in the EU. So far, it has led to even more chaos and confusion, as every office introduces new regulations gradually and in its own pace and thus you can never know, if already the new or still the old ones are valid.

Below some authentic quotes from customs officers, which made me pray for luck, more than learn the new customs law:)

„No, you cannot declare it this way and I don't care that all other customs offices do accept it!”

Me: Could I order a customs inspection in the ethnographic museum? The objects are very fragile and really shouldn't be unpacked anywhere else.
Customs: You cannot just call here and order a customs officer, an officer is not a pizza!

„Yes, my other colleague allowed such a procedure several times but he was simply wrong.
I wouldn't have and he shouldn't have.”

„Aha, I see. Our colleagues from the other customs office told you to declare this way?
They have always been known for being lazy and having no idea.”

„Yes, this procedure was still possible last week; however, it actually should have been forbidden since May, the new Union Customs Code, you know, but we just haven't introduced this prohibition till yesterday.”

Customs: „I need to inform you that tax-free temporary imports for restoration purposes are no longer approved by our customs office and the consevator has to deposit 20.000 EUR, otherwise the artwork won't be released to him. It may be that our colleagues in Freiburg and Dresden allow it but we don't. Since last month not anymore. You see: the new Union Customs Code.”
Me (in shock): ….????
Customs: „We are actually about to fully waive temporary imports for commercial consignees. All such importes will be taxed in the future.”
Me (still in shock): But when?
Customs: „We don't know. We're still discussing. We're actually not entirely convinced that it is a good idea. But this new Union Customs Code....we'll see and let you know.” 

4 months later – no news – apparently still discussing :)

Kafka should have written a novel titled "A Customs Clearance" :) It'd surely be just as good as "The Trial".

Luckily, there are SOME helpful and competent customs officers, and SOME rules that are valid in the whole EU. A post about customs basics to follow soon!