G/TFA/W /98 
 
3 May 2024 
(24-3549) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Trade Facilitation  Original: English  
 
  
TRADE FACILITATION  MEASURES FOR AUTHORIZED OPERATORS  
COMMUNICATION FROM EGYPT  
The following communication, dated 22 April  2024, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Egypt . 
 
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Egypt hereby makes the following communication pursuant to Article 7.7.6 of the Agreement on 
Trade Facilitation on Egypt 's Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme.  
 
1  THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EGYPTIAN CUSTOMS AUTHORITY (ECA) AUTHORIZED 
ECONOMIC OPERATOR (AEO) PROGRAMME  
The WCO SAFE Framework of Standards (SAFE FoS) to secure and facilitate global trade and its 
three underlying pillars of Customs -to Customs network arrang ements, Customs -to – Business 
partnerships and Customs -to –other Government Agencies cooperation constitutes the bedrock of 
the Egyptian Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme.  
In 2013, the Minister of Finance issued Decree No. 204 of 2013 developin g the former Account 
Management Service (AMS) into the Authorized Economic Operator Programme, followed by the 
relevant decrees and decisions on the procedures and criteria which were based on the standards of 
the WCO SAFE Framework.  
2  THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK OF THE PROGRAMME  
The ECA 's AEO programme is governed by the following regulatory framework:   
 
• Article 90 of the Customs Law 207/2020 ; 
• Articles 340 -351 of the Executive Regulation on Customs  Law 207/2020 issued by virtue of 
Ministerial Decree No. 430/2021 ; 
• Customs Commissioner 's Decree No. 76/2022 including the mechanism for providing 
benefits and facilities to the members of the AOE.  
 
3  SERVICE FORMS ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOMS COMMISSIONER 'S DECREE 
NO. 2310/2021  
• Authorized Economic Operator  programme's application ; 
• Self-Evaluation Questionnaire ; 
• Sub-Criteria form for granting AEO Status ; 
• Privileges Form . 
 
4  PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAMME  
• Applying up -to date systems for securing and facilitating the movement of goods through 
the implementation of Risk Management System ; 
• Increasing the flow of exported/imported goods through decreasing the release time ; 
• Supporting the national economy through supporting the Egyptian Exporters as far as export 
operations and procedures are concerned ; G/TFA/W/9 8 
 
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  • Promoting cooperation between the Customs and the private sector especially distinguished 
companies, which abide by the Customs laws and regulations in addition to other related 
laws and regulations ; 
• Unifying the customs treatment at all customs ports ; 
• Cooperating with other government authorities through cooperation protocols signed to 
support the programme's  members and to grant them privileges and facilities from the 
related control authorities . 
 
5  DEFINITION OF THE PROGRAMME  
The AEO programme is a partn ership programme, which is totally free and voluntary; whereby the 
AEO status is provided by the Customs Authority to the effective operators in the international trade 
supply chain (importers -exporters -carriers -brokers -warehouses, etc….) which comply with  the laws 
and regulations related to customs and fulfill all the criteria that qualify them to join the programme 
based on the WCO criteria.  
 
Authorized Economic Operators enjoy a number of privileges and facilities including reduced release 
time in additi on to enjoying preferential treatment from the other concerned government agencies 
with regard to procedures.  
  
6  TYPES OF THE AUTHORIZED OPERATORS IN THE PROGRAMME  
• Importers ; 
• Exporters ; 
• Brokers ; 
• Producers . 
 
7  THE AEO STATUS TYPES  
In the framework of unifying and promoting the facilities provided to the operators granted the 
Authorized Economic Operator status, such status granted according to the type of classification. In 
this context, upon completion of the customs procedures, the status of the Auth orized Economic 
Operator verified through the Trader Identification Number (TIN) where an identification of the 
operator 's status and the type of such status appears in "Nafeza " Screen. The status type is as 
follows:  
 
a) Silver list (customs simplifications):  AEOc; 
b) Golden list (simplification, safety and security) AEOc+s . 
 
8  GENERAL CRITERIA FOR OBTAINING THE AEO  STATUS  
According to Article 342 of the Executive Regulations of the Customs Law, to be granted the status 
of an Authorized Economic Operator, the appli cant should fulfill the following criteria:  
 
a) The applicant should be a company ; 
b) Acknowledgment of the legislations, forms and documents related to the Authorized 
Economic Operator program me issued by the Customs Authority ;  
c) Absence of any serious or repeat ed violations of customs legislations and tax rules during 
the three years preceding the date of applying for the AEO status ; 
d) The applicant must not have been convicted of a crime of customs smuggling during the 
five years preceding the date of applying fo r approval, unless the applicant has been 
rehabilitated ; 
e) Having the appropriate financial adequacy for the Economic Operator, according to the 
nature of the activity, and in a way that achieves fulfillment of commitments ; 
f) Abiding by implementing an interna l control system to manage commercial, accounting and 
logistical records in accordance with the customs rules in force, and in a manner that 
achieves the provisions of customs control over such records ; 
g) With regard to accreditation in the Silver List, prac tical standards of competence or 
professionalism directly related to the activity subject of the accreditation shall be provided ; 
h) With regard to the Golden List accreditation, it provides appropriate security and safety 
standards, which are considered to b e met when the applicant demonstrates that it 
maintains appropriate measures to ensure the security and integrity of the international G/TFA/W/9 8 
 
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  supply chain including the areas of physical safety, access controls, logistical operations and 
dealing with certain type s of goods, employees and identification of an operator 's business 
partners.  
 
9  THE AEO BENEFITS INCLUDE  
• Priority in the automated registration of the customs declaration for all stages of 
consignments release, based on a special list of the Authorized Economic Operators ; 
• Designating a customs committee in the logistic centers to complete the customs procedures 
to the AEO in order to accelerate the release procedures ; 
• Enjoying the least percentage of actual examination of the company's consign ments (red 
path) according to the type of the list and based on risk management systems ; 
• Enjoying the priority in examination in the event that the consignments are subject to 
examination ; 
• Priority in conducting the customs inspection at the headquarters o f the Authorized Economic 
Operator in coordination with the release customs office ; 
• Assigning a customs coordinator (account manager) to deal with the AEO file in the 
programme, follow up of its transactions and providing the AEO with publications ; 
• Holding  courses to educate accredited authorized economic operators to provide them with 
all developments and changes related to customs work ; 
• Assigning an operations coordinator to communicate and follow up of the Authorized 
Economic Operator 's enjoyment of the advantages of the programme at customs sites ; 
• Benefiting from indirect advantages such as the ability to use the logo (the Authorized 
Economic Operator) on the AEO 's documents, which adds credibility and confidence in its 
transactions with business partner s and other government agencies ; 
• Enjoying preferential treatment with regard to the procedures of the other concerned 
government agencies, based on protocols of cooperation signed between customs and these 
agencies ; 
• Enjoying the benefits resulting from mut ual bilateral or regional recognition agreements with 
respect to the Authorized Economic Operator signed with countries party to agreements 
Egypt is a member to and on the basis of the principle of reciprocity ; 
• Facilitated procedures for renewing licences at customs . 
 
10  PROTOCOLS SIGNED WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITIES TO PROVIDE 
FACILITIES FOR THE PROGRAMME 'S MEMBERS  
1. A cooperation protocol between the ECA AEO programme  and the General Organization for 
Exports and Imports Controls (GOIEC) . 
 
2. A coop eration protocol between the ECA AEO programme  and the  National Food Safety 
Authority . 
 
3. A cooperation protocol between the ECA AEO programme  and the Egyptian Drug Authority . 
 
4. A cooperation protocol between the ECA AEO programme  and the Industrial Control 
Authority . 
 
5. A cooperation protocol with Port Security Authority to facilitate Procedures for security 
inquiries about senior company leaders . 
 
11  MUTUAL RECOGNITION AGREEMENTS IN RESPECT OF THE AEO  
Egypt is in the process of negotiating and signing mutual recognition arrangements on the AEO  both 
bilaterally and regionally.  
Further information on the Authorized  Economic Operator (AEO) programme  in Egypt can be 
accessed through the following link : https://www.customs.gov.eg/About/AEO . 
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