Binding Tariff Information

Customs

EU official customs decision providing a legally binding HS classification of specific goods.

Sources

1. European Commission, Taxation and Customs Union — Validity period of BTI decisions taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu accessed 22 September 2026

The European Commission states the term directly: “A BTI decision is generally valid for 3 years.” The legal basis is Articles 22 to 37 of the Union Customs Code, whose substantive provisions have applied since 1 May 2016. Generally matters: the same provisions set out how a decision can cease to be valid, or be revoked or annulled, before the three years run — for instance when the classification rules change — so a BTI protects a classification for its term only while the law it was based on stays put.

The figure in the definition above is now sourced to the Commission. The definition’s wording otherwise is this lexicon’s summary.

Common questions

What is Binding Tariff Information (BTI)?

BTI is an official EU customs decision providing a legally binding classification of your specific product under the EU tariff nomenclature. Valid for 3 years across all EU member states. Apply through any EU member state customs authority (e.g., HMRC in UK pre-Brexit, or Dutch Customs if entering via Rotterdam). Eliminates HS code disputes at EU customs.

Related terms

• Advance Authorisation
• Anti-Dumping Duty
• ATA Carnet
• Authorised Economic Operator
• Bill of Entry
• Common External Tariff

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).