Reduce customs duties with a EUR.1 or EUR-MED certificate

Published by:
Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, KVK
Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, KVK

With a EUR.1 or EUR-MED certificate, you pay less or no import duty. The reduction only applies if the country of your buyer or supplier has a trade agreement with the European Union (EU). Learn what requirements products must meet, and when and how to apply for a EUR.1 or EUR-MED.

Conditions for reduction of import duty

You can apply for a EUR.1 or EUR-MED certificate if the products are of preferential origin. A product is of preferential EU origin if it is made or processed in the EU, either entirely or mainly. The EUR.1 or EUR-MED certificate proves that a product is of preferential origin.

These certificates only offer lower import duties on products for and from countries with which the EU has a trade agreement. For example, Switzerland and the UK. These trade agreements set out the rules for preferential origin. Check whether your products comply with these rules with the European Commission's Rules of Origin Self-Assessment (ROSA) tool.

Difference between EUR.1 and EUR-MED

You can use a EUR.1 certificate for most countries with which the EU has a trade agreement. Do you do business with a country that signed the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean agreement (PEM)? Then use a EUR-MED certificate.

Who should apply for a EUR.1 or EUR-MED?

Are you importing products? Ask your supplier to send a EUR.1 or EUR-MED with the products. If you are exporting products, you arrange the certificate. You can request a certificate from the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce KVK. Contact KVK before you start exporting goods to check whether your products qualify for a EUR.1 or EUR-MED certificate.

KVK uses your supplied proof to check that your export products are of preferential origin. After it is approved, the Customs Administration of the Netherlands must validate the certificate. Ask your customs forwarding agent to submit it to the Customs Administration.

When do you not need a EUR.1 or EUR-MED?

In some cases, you can use an invoice declaration instead of a EUR.1 or EUR-MED. An invoice declaration is a declaration of preferential origin that you put on your sales invoice. You are allowed to use an invoice declaration in the following situations:

  • It is a small shipment, so the value is no higher than €6,000.
  • You regularly export products of preferential origin and you have applied for an Approved Exporter permit with the Netherlands Tax Administration.
  • You do business with a country that does not use the EUR.1 and EUR-MED certificates. In this case, you need an Approved Exporter permit or have to be a Registered Exporter (REX).

Apply for a EUR.1 or EUR-MED

You have to apply for a EUR.1 or EUR-MED certificate for every shipment. You pay a fixed amount for this.

Proof of preferential origin

If you apply for a EUR.1 or EUR-MED, you have to prove that the products are of preferential origin. Producers, traders, and freight forwarders each have to prove this in a different way. For more information about proving preferential origin, visit KVK.nl.

Questions relating to this article?

Please contact the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, KVK