The Binding Tariff Information system is a key instrument for implementing the Common Customs Tariff. It is intended to make it easier for economic operators to get the proper classification of the goods in the tariff and statistical nomenclature.
Binding Tariff Information is issued to economic operators by the customs authorities of the Member States. Thus, traders will know, in advance, the tariff classification of the goods they intend to import or export. Such BTI is introduced into a data-base run by the Commission and is legally valid in all Member States, regardless of the Member State which issued it.
BTI is generally valid for 6 years. However, BTI ceases to be valid following, e.g., the publication of a
classification regulation, a change in the interpretation of the nomenclature at international level, or any other possibility laid down by the provisions for the implementation of the Customs Code. In these cases, a period of transition is generally accorded.
