Customs and international trade · France / Switzerland
Customs representation: review mandate and capacity
France and Switzerland require different analyses of customs representation and declarant obligations. Identify the principal, service provider, powers and actual filings before allocating responsibilities. EU direct and indirect representation labels should not be imported as a complete Swiss legal model. Contractual fee allocation and statutory customs obligations also need to remain separate in the file.
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France: why specify direct or indirect representation ?
The chosen capacity has its own effects and should match both the mandate and actual declarations.
Read the referencesYour question concerns “Customs representation: review mandate and capacity”. Which document should we examine, and does your matter concern France or Switzerland?
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France: which parties must the customs mandate identify ?
Separate principal, representative and logistics participants. Verify the legal entity actually signing the mandate.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procuration
How can you connect the facts and records in your file?
Complete the file references. The initial values illustrate a fictional case; they are not observed product results.
Fictional example · Customs mandate and responsibility matrix
- Principal
- Company A
- Provider
- Provider B
- Operations
- Import declarations
- Limit
- Validation of supplied data
This worksheet organises records; it does not establish admissibility, entitlement or a procedural outcome.
France: why specify direct or indirect representation ?
The chosen capacity has its own effects and should match both the mandate and actual declarations.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procuration
France: how are customs powers delimited ?
Identify covered operations, data responsibilities, administration contacts and required validations. General wording should not hide an unclear scope.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procuration
Which elements belong together before the next step?
| Preparation question | Point to verify |
|---|---|
| France: which parties must the customs mandate identify ? | Separate principal, representative and logistics participants. Verify the legal entity actually signing the mandate. |
| France: why specify direct or indirect representation ? | The chosen capacity has its own effects and should match both the mandate and actual declarations. |
| France: how are customs powers delimited ? | Identify covered operations, data responsibilities, administration contacts and required validations. General wording should not hide an unclear scope. |
| France: does a fee clause decide every customs obligation ? | No. Separate contractual charges, declaration duties and potential customs debt. Compare each with its own legal basis. |
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procurationFedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
France: does a fee clause decide every customs obligation ?
No. Separate contractual charges, declaration duties and potential customs debt. Compare each with its own legal basis.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procuration
Which official provision helps explain this situation?
Toute personne peut désigner un représentant en douane.
Separate principal, representative and logistics participants. Verify the legal entity actually signing the mandate.
Switzerland: should EU representation labels be copied unchanged ?
No. Identify the persons and roles under the Swiss framework before examining declaration and debt questions.
Fedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
Switzerland: does every declarant have identical debt liability ?
The customs statute contains debtor categories and express exceptions. Do not turn joint liability into an exception-free statement.
Fedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
Switzerland: which instructions should be preserved ?
Keep the mandate, data sources, validations and actual declarations. Relate discrepancies to documented instructions.
Fedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
Switzerland: how should a mandate change be recorded ?
Retain the changed version, effective date and notice. Examine ongoing operations separately rather than assuming every effect is immediate.
Fedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
What other questions arise in this file?
France: why specify direct or indirect representation ?
The chosen capacity has its own effects and should match both the mandate and actual declarations.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procurationFedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
France: does a fee clause decide every customs obligation ?
No. Separate contractual charges, declaration duties and potential customs debt. Compare each with its own legal basis.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procurationFedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
Switzerland: does every declarant have identical debt liability ?
The customs statute contains debtor categories and express exceptions. Do not turn joint liability into an exception-free statement.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procurationFedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
Switzerland: how should a mandate change be recorded ?
Retain the changed version, effective date and notice. Examine ongoing operations separately rather than assuming every effect is immediate.
Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18Registered customs representativeCustoms procurationFedlex 2007/249/frLoi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDF
Which official references should you consult?
- Code des douanes de l’Union — règlement (UE) 952/2013 — article 18publications.europa.eu
- Registered customs representativedouane.gouv.fr
- Customs procurationdouane.gouv.fr
- Fedlex 2007/249/frfedlex.admin.ch
- Loi sur les douanes / Zollgesetz / Legge sulle dogane — art_26, art_70fedlex.admin.ch
- OFDF import/declarant rules, R-10-00 PDFbazg.admin.ch
Texts cited last checked: 2 November 2026