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2016 OAS Guidelines

Subsection 6.10: Security requirements in relation to business partners

In order to meet the criterion referred to in Article 28(1)(d) of the EA CAU, it must take measures to clearly identify its business partners and ensure, through the application of appropriate contractual provisions or other appropriate measures in accordance with its own business model, that those business partners ensure the security of their section of the international supply chain.

Business partners can be suppliers (of goods or services) or customers.

6.10.1

Your response must be accompanied by documentary evidence. You must show the customs authority any documentary evidence you have to justify your answer to this question. The documentation must include a record of the controls applied. The record must be kept available during the visit for inspection purposes.

6.10.2, a) and b)

You are primarily responsible, within your segment of the international supply chain, for the goods under your control and the facilities you use. However, the security of the international supply chain also depends on the security of your trading partners, and you must make every effort to ensure that your trading partners comply with the security requirements of the AEO.

You can require your suppliers to have all goods marked, sealed, packaged and labelled in a certain way, to undergo X-ray inspection, etc., and to comply with current international standards.

Where such requirements exist, their procedures shall provide for the following elements:

  • If possible, regular visits to the supplier's company facilities to verify compliance with these requirements,
  • Communicating the agreed requirements to your company's staff so that they can check compliance with them upon arrival of the goods,
  • establishing procedures for your company's staff to report any irregularities or incidents observed,
  • management/supervisory controls carried out to ensure that staff are implementing the agreed requirements,
  • the measures taken to remedy any failure to comply with these requirements,
  • regular review and updating of procedures.

You must show the customs authority any documentary evidence you have to justify your answer to this question. The documentation must include a record of the controls applied. The record must be kept available during the visit for inspection purposes.

6.10.3

Your response must be accompanied by documentary evidence. You must show the customs authority any documentary evidence you have to justify your answer to this question. The documentation must include a record of the controls applied. The record must be kept available during the visit for inspection purposes.

In principle, any non-compliance of the type specified in this section should be reflected in the documents mentioned in question 6.1.2, a) and b), together with an appropriate review of the procedures and the measure(s) applied to address it.