Guide

Binding Tariff Information (BTI): legal certainty for your classification

Updated on 16 August 2026

A Binding Tariff Information (BTI) is an official decision by a customs authority on the tariff classification of specific goods. Under Article 33(3) of the Union Customs Code it is valid for three years from the date it takes effect, and it binds the customs authorities of every member state as well as the holder.

A BTI turns a classification opinion into legal certainty, but only for the classification itself. This guide covers what the decision does and does not protect, how the application works and how long it takes, and how to read the EBTI database before you spend four months waiting for an answer you could have found in it.

When does a BTI make sense?

A BTI is worth the effort when the classification is genuinely uncertain and the stakes are high. Typical situations include:

New products with unclear classification, especially where candidate codes carry different duty rates
Goods near the boundary of anti-dumping measures, suspensions, or licensing requirements
High or recurring import volumes where a later reclassification would be expensive
Disagreements with a customs office or diverging classifications across suppliers

When it is the wrong instrument

A BTI is slow, narrow, and permanent, which makes it a poor fit for some of the situations companies reach for it in:

A shipment that is already on the water. The decision applies to future procedures only and cannot repair a declaration you have already filed.
A one-off consignment of low value. The application effort and the 120-day wait outweigh the duty at risk.
A classification you are confident about. The decision binds you too, so you cannot move to a better code while it stands.
A whole catalog. One application covers one type of goods, so a thousand-item product list is not a BTI project.

How to apply for a BTI

Applications are filed electronically, through the national customs portal that feeds the EU-wide EBTI system. In Germany that is the Zoll-Portal at zoll-portal.de, and the applications are handled centrally by the Hauptzollamt Hannover. Paper applications have not been accepted since October 2019.

The application must describe exactly one type of goods in enough detail to classify it: composition, function, presentation, and where useful photos, data sheets, or samples. You are also asked to state whether a BTI for identical or similar goods has already been applied for or issued to your company.

After the authority accepts the application it decides without delay, and at the latest within 120 days of acceptance under Article 22(3) of the Union Customs Code. Where it needs more time it must tell you before that deadline, with the reasons and the date it expects to decide; a further extension is capped at 30 days. The decision itself is free of charge. You bear the costs the authority incurs on your goods, such as laboratory analyses, expert reports, or the return of samples.

What a BTI does not cover

This is where expectations and legal reality most often part company. A BTI fixes the classification of the described goods and nothing else.

It does not fix the duty rate. The measures attached to the code, such as duty rates, anti-dumping duties, suspensions, and quotas, can change during the three years and are not part of the decision.
It does not work backwards. Only customs procedures completed after the decision takes effect are covered.
It does not protect anyone else. The decision covers its holder and the goods described in it, so another company's BTI is evidence, not cover.
It does not leave you a choice. The holder must classify the goods under the stated code and quote the BTI reference number in the customs declaration whenever the goods correspond to it.

When a BTI ends early, and the six-month wind-down

The three-year term is a maximum, not a guarantee. A BTI ceases to be valid when the nomenclature is amended, when a classification regulation or a Court of Justice ruling contradicts it, or when explanatory notes change the reading it relied on. It is revoked when it was issued on incorrect or incomplete information from the applicant.

When the decision ends for a reason outside your control, you can ask to keep using it for up to six months for goods under binding contracts that were concluded before validity ended. That period exists to wind down commitments, not to postpone reclassifying your master data.

Read the EBTI database before you apply

The European Commission publishes issued decisions in the public EBTI database. Before you spend four months on an application, look for what is already there: a decision on comparable goods tells you the line the administration takes, and the reasoning shows which characteristics carried the classification.

Contradicting decisions across member states are worth just as much attention. Where they exist, the classification is genuinely contested, which is the strongest argument for applying rather than deciding internally.

Zolltarif-Finder searches relevant BTI decisions automatically during classification and cites them as evidence with each proposed code. Cited rulings are recorded per decision, so every classification shows which official references support it.

Frequently asked questions

Does a BTI guarantee the duty rate I pay?

No. A BTI is binding for the classification of the described goods. The measures that follow from the code, such as duty rates, anti-dumping duties, suspensions, and quotas, can change while the decision is still valid.

What does a BTI cost?

The decision itself is free of charge. The applicant bears costs only where the authority incurs expenses, for example laboratory analyses, expert reports, or returning samples.

How long does it take to receive a BTI?

The customs authority decides without delay and at the latest within 120 days of accepting the application. If it cannot meet that deadline it must notify you with the reasons and the expected date; any further extension is limited to 30 days.

Can I rely on another company's BTI?

No. A BTI applies only to its holder and the goods it describes. A published decision on comparable goods is strong evidence for your own reasoning and belongs in your documentation, but it does not bind customs in your favour.

What happens to my BTI when the nomenclature changes on 1 January?

It ceases to be valid for the goods concerned. On request you can continue to use it for up to six months for goods under binding contracts concluded before validity ended, and you should reclassify the affected items in your master data in parallel.

Is a BTI mandatory for imports or exports?

No. A BTI is voluntary. Companies remain free to classify goods themselves; the BTI simply makes the classification legally binding for the described goods.

Does a BTI from another EU country apply in Germany?

Yes. A BTI issued by any member state binds the customs authorities of the entire EU. It applies only to its holder and the goods described in the decision, but published decisions are a valuable reference for similar goods.

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