Apply for Authorised Economic Operator status

Authorised Economic Operator Customs Simplification (AEOC) and Authorised Economic Operator Security and Safety (AEOS) status are for businesses that:

• are a legal entity
• are established in the UK
• are actively involved in customs operations and international trade
• have an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI)

You can apply for:

• Authorised Economic Operator Customs Simplification status
• Authorised Economic Operator Security and Safety status
• both

HMRC will carry out businessseveral standardschecks andon criteriayour checksbusiness to see if you’re eligible to receive the status.

Before you apply

You must:

• read and understand the criteria and checks involved
• have an EORI number that starts with GBGB, orif XI
• gatheryou theare informationestablished in Northern Ireland you needwill toalso applyneed foran AuthorisedXI EconomicEORI Operatornumber
• gather statusthe information you’ll need to answer the questions on the online form
• have responsible customs managers and specific personnel available onsite for the audit visits

Who should apply

A responsible person in the business for example, a partner or director should apply for the status.

If someone else applies, they must have permission from a responsible person.

What you will need to apply

You’ll need your:

• EORI number startingthat GBstarts orwith GB, if you are established in Northern Ireland you will also need an XI EORI number starting XI
• Government Gateway user ID and password — if you do not have a user ID, or have lost it, you can create one or find out how to recover your login details when you apply

How to apply

You should apply for Authorised Economic Operator status using the online form.

Apply now

If you’re a group of companies, you need to submit separate applications for each legal entity.

You do not have to complete the full application in one go. You can return to your application.

You have 28 days from the date you start your application to complete it. You can save your progress as you go, after you have completed your application you must submit it in full within 24 hours.

After we receive your application, we’ll carry out our checks and we’ll aim to visit you as soon as possible. Authorised Economic Operator status can take up to 120 days to approve.

Email HMRC to ask for an Authorised Economic Operator self assessment form and application form in Welsh (Cymraeg).

Return to your application

When you return to your application you’ll need your:

• EORI number that starts with GB
• Government Gateway user ID and password

After you’ve applied

YouWe’ll willsend getyou an emailacknowledgement to confirm when we receive your application. After we’ve reviewed it, we’ll send you a notice of acceptance if it’s complete and satisfactory.

After we receive your application, we’ll carry out our checks and we’ll aim to visit you as soon as possible. Authorised Economic Operator status can take up to 120 days to approve.

We’ll visit you to check your documentation and test your systems.

You must have the documented evidence available for our visits. We may advise you to withdraw your application, if you do not meet the criteria.

If you pass our checks, you’ll receive your authorisation within 120 days.

Once we approve your status, we’ll check to make sure you continue to meet the standards.

If anything changes within your business, you must notifytell HMRC of any that affect your Authorised Economic Operator statusus within 30 days of it happening. This could include:

• changes to your legal entity
• changes of business name or business address
• changes to the nature and structure of your business
• changes to any people responsible for customs matters mentioned in your application
• changes to your accounting or computer systems
• additions or deletions of locations or branches involved in the international supply chain
• additions or deletions to the categories you have approval for

Get more information

You can check if a business holds Authorised Economic Operator status.

There’s also information on the World Customs Organisation website.