EU recognition of customs academic programmes : application guide.
Date: 2020-08-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union
Subjects: customs, customs profession, foreign trade, higher education, professional qualifications, recognition of diplomas, recognition of studies, teaching curriculum, user guide, vocational training

EU Recognition
of Customs Academic Programmes

Application Guide

Taxation and
Customs Union

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EU Recognition
of Customs Academic Programmes

Application Guide

Table of Contents

4

EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic Programmes 
6   Document structure and background

8  

9  

Section 1 - Overview of the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition process

Section 2 - Step-by-step guide to the recognition process

9      

10     

11     

Phase 1: Application Phase

Phase 2: Assessment Phase

Phase 3: Verification Phase

12   Section 3 - Application forms
13     

How to complete Form 1 – Initiation Request Document

14     

14     
15     

How to complete Form 2 – Academic Programme Outline

How to complete Form 3 – Competencies Addressed by the Programme
How to complete Form 4 – Deviations & Motivation

16   Section 4 - More information?
16    

Who can pursue EU recognition for Customs academic programmes?

16    

18    

18    

18    

19    

19    

19    

What eligibility criteria apply?

What costs do I need to take into account to obtain recognition?

Why should I pursue recognition for my Customs academic programmes?

I am an EU-based academic study provider and my programme meets the eligibility criteria.  

What do I need to do?

How long does the EU Certificate of Recognition for my programme remain valid?

Can I easily renew my EU Certificate of Recognition?

Which language conditions apply?

20   Section 5 – Annex 

EU Customs Certificate of Recognition Process Overview

5

Application Guide 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic Programmes

Document structure and background

DOCUMENT STRUCTURE

BACKGROUND

This application guide is structured as follows:

The European Commission has taken the initiative to recog-

‣  Section 1: Provides a general overview of the recognition 

process and the key steps.

‣  Section 2: Elaborates further on each of the different steps, 
thereby providing the applicant with a clear idea of what is 

expected during each step.

‣  Section 3: Deals with the different application forms you 
need to complete and offers practical guidance on how to 

complete them.

‣  Section 4: Covers a series of frequently asked questions 

and provides answers.

nise Customs-specific Bachelor's and Master’s academic pro-

grammes and modules within such programmes that equip 

their  students  with  the  optimal  competencies  to  engage 

in – or to further advance – their career in Customs. Such 

academic programmes significantly contribute to boosting 

Customs performance and professionalism. Therefore, these 

academic  programmes  can  obtain  an  EU  Certificate  of 

Recognition acknowledging their quality, as a label of excel-

lence awarded by the European Commission.

To  obtain  this  label  of  excellence,  academic  universities, 

business schools, colleges and public sector higher education 

institutions (and equivalent offering Customs-specific academic 

programmes) can now apply.

This application guide is intended for parties interested in 

obtaining the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition for their 

Customs-specific  academic  programme(s).  As  such,  this 

guide provides the applicants with practical guidance on how 

to complete each of the steps of the EU Customs Certificate 

of Recognition application process.

Application Guide  
for the EU Customs 
Certificate 
of Recognition 
process

6

EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic ProgrammesApplication Guide

7

Application GuideSection 1
Overview of the EU Customs Certificate 
of Recognition process

The  recognition  process  consists  of  several  consecutive 

phases. During the application phase (phase 1), the applicant 

completes the Initiation Request Document and all required 

1

  APPLICATION PHASE

application  forms  and  submits  them  to  the  European  Com-

First the applicant completes the Initiation Request 

mission (DG TAXUD). The Commission performs the eligibility 

Document and sends it to: EU-CertificateOfRecognition@

criteria  check  and  shares  eligible  applications  with  the  EU 

ec.europa.eu at any time during the year.

Assessment Board.*

Based on the outcome of the assessment performed by the 

EU Assessment Board (phase 2), the European Commission 

will decide whether or not to grant the EU Customs Certificate 

of Recognition, or whether a verification phase (phase 3) will 

be required.

Then the applicant completes the Application Forms 

and sends them to EU-CertificateOfRecognition@ec. 

europa.eu before 31/12 to be included in next year’s 

assessment cycle.

2

  ASSESSMENT PHASE

Optionally, the Assessment Board may request an on-

site visit to the study facilities to assess and discuss 

the programme in greater depth.

The European Commission will share its final recognition 

decision by 31/05.

* During  the  assessment  phase  (phase  2),  the  EU  Assessment  Board,  a 
dedicated group of experts, will assess the application forms that have 
been sent by the applicants. The EU Assessment Board will assess the 
information  provided  by  the  applicant  by  comparing  their  programme 
curriculum with the EU Reference Training Programme (RTP) for Academic 
Customs  Education  (a  comprehensive  suggested  list  of  training  areas 
based  on  commonly  agreed  Customs-specific  competencies)  in  order 
to  evaluate  the  extent  to  which  the  programme  under  consideration  is 
aligned  to  the  CustCompeu  (EU  Customs  Competency  Framework).  More 
information is provided in Sections 2 and 3.

3

  VERIFICATION PHASE

Applications that were conditionally approved1 by the 

European Commission will be required to go through 

this phase. The applicant takes the required measures 

to meet the conditions set by the European Commission 

in obtaining recognition.

1  The EU Assessment Board must always support its recommendation to the European Commission with documented arguments. When appropriate and 
supported by relevant arguments, the EU Assessment Board can provide a recommendation to conditionally endorse the recognition of a programme. 
This means that the training provider needs to demonstrate that his or her programme meets these conditions before it obtains recognition for this pro-
gramme. Examples of conditions could be that additional clarifications are requested, or specific forms need to be updated in line with the EU Assessment 
Board's comments.

  A more detailed overview of the application process is presented in Section 2.

8
8

EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic ProgrammesSection 2
Step-by-step guide to the 
recognition process

This section will walk the applicants through each of the steps 

of the recognition process. Please note that the focus of this 

section is primarily on the steps that the applicants need to take 

in line with the overview discussed in Section 1. This means 

that for the sake of clarity and focus, the steps performed by 

the EU Assessment Board are not further elaborated in this 

section.  For  more  information  on  the  overall  recognition 
process, including the activities performed by the EU Assess-

ment Board and the European Commission, please refer to the 

Annex (page 20) for a detailed process overview. For more de-

tails regarding the specific forms that the applicant needs to fill 

out, please refer to Section 3 - Application forms.

Phase 1: The Application Phase

‣  Step 1.1 – Submit Initiation Request Document  
Step 1.2 – Submit relevant Application Forms

Phase 2: The Assessment Phase

‣  Step 2.1 – Optional – Host programme site visit  

Step 2.2 – Optional – Submit additional information

Phase 3: The Verification Phase

‣  Step  3.1  –  Optional  –  Submit  requested  documentation 

and proof conditions have been met

2  The CustCompeu (EU Competency Framework for Customs) lists and 

describes the EU Customs Competencies.

9
9

PHASE 1: APPLICATION PHASE

Step 1.1 – Submit Initiation Request Form

To  start  the  application  process,  the  applicant 
submits  the  Initiation  Request  Document  (Form  1) 
to  the  European  Commission.  This  document  is 
requested  in  English.  It  provides  the  European 
Commission with basic information on the programme 
in question. It is the applicant’s responsibility to verify 
whether the programme meets all eligibility criteria. 
More information on the eligible parties and eligibility 
criteria  regarding  the  programme  can  be  found  in 
section 4:

‣  Who  can  pursue  EU  recognition  for  Customs 

academic programmes?
Public and private academic institutions registered 
in the EU. 

‣  What eligibility criteria apply?

The academic programme must be:
•  accredited by an authorised body
•  Customs-specific and
•  in line with the CustCompeu 2

In case of doubt, the applicant can contact the European 
Commission for clarifications before submitting the 
documentation to:
EU-CertificateOfRecognition@ec.europa.eu.

The Initiation Request Document (Form 1) can be found 
in Section 3 - Application forms. This form must be 
mailed to:
EU-CertificateOfRecognition@ec.europa.eu.

The applicant can apply for recognition at any 
time during the assessment cycle. Please note 
that  applicants  must  submit  the  Initiation  Re-
quest Document and all application forms before 
31/12  to  be  guaranteed  inclusion  in  the  next 
cycle of the recognition process. Merely submitting 
the Initiation Request Document will not guaran-
tee inclusion in the next cycle.

Application Guide 
 
 
 
 
Step 1.2 – Submit relevant Application Forms

This step should only be initiated when the eligibility criteria 

are met. It is the applicant’s responsibility to verify whether 

the programme meets all eligibility criteria. If at a later stage 

in the assessment process, it appears that the eligibility cri-

teria have not been met, the application process will be sus-

pended or cancelled by the European Commission.

During  this  step,  the  applicants  need  to  complete  several 

forms found in Section 3 - Application forms. In general, in 

addition to the Initiation Request Document (Form 1), three 

forms will need to be provided:

‣  Academic Programme Outline (Form 2)

‣  Competencies Addressed by the Programme (Forms 3A, 
3B, 3C or 3D – depending on the nature of the programme 

applying)

Detailed instructions on to how to complete the application 
forms are further elaborated in Section 3.

PHASE 2: ASSESSMENT PHASE

When application is received, the application documents will be 

assessed by the EU Assessment Board members who will jointly 

submit a recommendation for recognition to the European 

Commission.

Step 2.1 – Optional – Host programme site visit

For  the  recognition  of  Customs  Bachelor's  and  Master’s 

programmes3, a visit to the applicant's site may be requested. 

During this visit, the EU Assessment Board members can ask 

for clarifications where required. The applicant will have the op-

portunity to comprehensively explain what value the pro-

gramme will bring to the Customs community.

Step  2.2  –  Optional  –  Submit  additional  requested  

‣  Deviations & motivation (Form 4)

information

The forms should be mailed to the European Commission: 

The application documents are assessed, and the European 

EU-CertificateOfRecognition@ec.europa.eu. All complete 

Commission shares its final decision on recognition with the 

submissions received before 31/12 will be considered 

for  recognition  during  the  following  assessment  cycle 

applicant. In some cases, the applicant may be requested to 
provide further information during the assessment. The ap-

(upon  confirmation  by  the  European  Commission).  It 

plicant will be informed of this well in advance.

is  recommended  that  the  applicant  allows  sufficient 

time to complete all required documentation. As a 

general guideline, the applicant should take into ac-

If the application is rejected, the training provider can re- 

apply during the next cycle.

count that on average a period of one to two weeks is 

By  31/05,  the  European  Commission  shares  with 

required to complete the application documentation. 

the applicants recognition decisions based on the 

This duration may vary depending on the nature of 

recommendations put forward by the EU Assessment 

the programme.

Board.

3  If deemed relevant by the Assessment Board, a similar visit can also be requested for applying Customs modules within Bachelor's and Master’s programmes.

10

PHASE 3: VERIFICATION PHASE

This phase only applies to applications that have been con-

ditionally approved during the assessment phase (phase 2). 

This means that a positive assessment of the EU Assessment 

Board  is  dependent  on  the  applicant  meeting  one  or  more 

conditions. In phase 3, therefore, the applicant will have to 

demonstrate that these conditions have been met before the 

programme  can  be  granted  the  EU  Customs  Certificate  of 

Recognition.

Step 3.1 – Optional – Submit requested documentation 

and proof that the conditions have been met

The applicant must demonstrate that the conditions for ob-

taining recognition set by the Assessment Board during the 

assessment phase have now been met. Based on the updated 

materials, additional information and arguments, the EU As-

sessment Board will submit an updated recommendation for 

recognition to the European Commission4.

If the European Commission decides not to recognise the 

study programme, the applicant can re-apply for recognition 

during the next cycle.

4  Please note that the programme can be rejected in full if the EU Assessment Board concludes that not all conditions listed in the conditional 

approval recommendation during the assessment phase have been met successfully.

11
11

Application GuideEU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic Programmes

Section 3
Application forms

This  section  provides  more  information  on  the  different  application  forms.  Each  individual  application  form  contains 

information and guidance on what is required in the form. Every application form includes a link to a pre-filled sample 

application with extensive examples for all fields.

Form 1 – Initiation Request Document
Requests the applicant to provide general information on the programme.

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/
sites/taxation/files/annex1_initiation_
request_document_form_en.docx

Form 2 – Academic Programme Outline
Provides an overview of the programme and its courses.

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/
sites/taxation/files/annex2_academic_
programme_outline_form_en.docx

Form 3A – Competencies Addressed by the Programme –

MASTER’S PROGRAMME
Compares the competencies addressed by the programme to the 

competencies addressed by the EU RTP for Academic Customs Education 

(Master’s degrees).

Form 3B – Competencies Addressed by the Programme –

BACHELOR'S PROGRAMME
Compares the competencies addressed by the programme to the 

competencies addressed by the EU RTP for Academic Customs Education 

(Bachelor's degrees).

Form 3C – Competencies Addressed by the Programme – 

CUSTOMS MODULE WITHIN A MASTER'S PROGRAMME
Compares the competencies addressed by the programme to the 

competencies addressed by the EU RTP for Academic Customs Education 

(module within a Master’s degree).

Form 3D – Competencies Addressed by the Programme – 

CUSTOMS MODULE WITHIN A BACHELOR'S PROGRAMME
Compares the competencies addressed by the programme to the 

competencies addressed by the corresponding EU RTP for Academic 

Customs Education (module within a Bachelor's degree).

Form 4 – Deviations & Motivation
Provides the applicant with the opportunity to substantiate general deviations 

from the EU materials.

12
12

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/
sites/taxation/files/annex_3a_compe-
tencies_addressed_by_the_masters_
programme_form_3a_en.docx

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/
sites/taxation/files/annex_3b_compe-
tencies_addressed_by_the_bachelor_
programme_form_3b_en.docx

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/
sites/taxation/files/annex_3c_competen-
cies_addressed_by_a_module_within_
masters_programme_form_3c_en.docx

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/
sites/taxation/files/annex_3d_competen-
cies_addressed_by_a_module_within_
bachelor_programme_form_3d_en.docx

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/
sites/taxation/files/annex4_deviations_
motivation_template_form4_en.docx

EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic ProgrammesApplication Guide

HOW TO COMPLETE FORM 1 –  
INITIATION REQUEST DOCUMENT

Step 1: Provide the name of the educational institution, 
contact  information,  title  (in  English)  and  type  of  pro-
gramme (e.g. master’s, bachelor’s, module(s) within a master’s 
or bachelor's, etc.), in the relevant rows.

Step 2: Insert the link, if available, to the programme Content/
Modules overview, or provide a short description of the 
programme structure in English.

Step 3: In which language(s) will the programme be delivered 
(where applicable)? Please also mention in which language(s) 
the training materials will be available.

Step  4:  Provide detailed information on the envisaged tar-
get audience for the programme. This includes the following 
information:

‣  which sector (public, private, both) audience(s) does the 
programme target? Highlight the appropriate answer with 
an “x”. The applicant is free to add any additional clar-
ifications deemed necessary.

‣  provide some concrete examples of specific profiles 
at  which  the  programme  is  targeted.  For  these  profiles, 
please share information with respect to their educational 
background, prior (professional) experience, etc.

Step 5: Is the programme full-time or part-time study 
(or both)? Highlight the appropriate answer with an “x” and 
mention  the  exact  length  in  writing.  The  applicant  is  free  to 
add any additional clarifications deemed necessary.

Step 6: Provide information on the intensity of the overall 
programme  in  ECTS  (or  equivalent)  points5,  or  in  total 
workload hours. Please describe credit/hour allocation as 
described in the instructions and state the proportion of the 
programme that covers Customs-specific content (in percentage 
and ECTS points, if applicable).

Step  7:  Provide  information  on  teaching  and  learning 
methods used in the programme (e.g. classroom / virtual / 
e-learning / self-study / written assignments / projects / litera-
ture study / thesis / guest lectures, etc.). 

Step 8: Provide a summary description of the academic 
programme and its key learning outcomes.

Step 9: Provide examples of what the occupational profiles 
of graduates will be upon completion of the academic programme.

Step 10: What is the current status with respect to the 
accreditation process? Select the appropriate answer with 
an  “x”.  If  accreditation  is  already  granted,  please  also  men-
tion the name and contact details of the accreditation body 
and provide information on granting and expiration dates as 
well as its renewal policy. Note: the applicant is responsible for 
submitting the accreditation documentation to the Com-
mission in English (or a translated English version) as sup-
porting material for Form 1. In case the applicant has selected 
“Not applicable” or “Other”,  additional clarifications should be 
provided. 

Step 11: Confirm that all information included in the application 
package is true and correct.

5  ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). ECTS is a tool that helps to understand the weight of the programme 
(and its individual subjects) in terms of hours of study. For more information on ECTS points, please visit: http://www.ehea.info/media.ehea.info/file/
ECTS_Guide/00/0/ects-users-guide-2015_614000.pdf

13
13

Application GuideHOW TO COMPLETE FORM 2 –  
ACADEMIC PROGRAMME OUTLINE

General  comment:  Please  provide  extensive  informa-
tion  in  a  thorough  response.  For  each  course  please  list  all 

learning topics, learning outcomes and associated chapters, 

guest  speakers,  group  assignments,  research  tasks,  etc. 

(non-exhaustive  list).  Please  begin  by  reporting  all  Customs- 

specific courses under title 1. Customs-specific courses and 
continue with section 2. Non-Customs courses.

Step 1: Fill out the Course reference number in the far left. 
This will allow the assessors to easily link the information the 

applicant has provided across the various application forms.

Step 2: Fill out the Course title linked to the course refer-
ence number. If the official course title is not in English, then 

please also share a translated version of the course title in 

English.

Step 3: In the Outline, provide a summary of the course's 
learning topics and the learning outcomes that are envisaged 

for each learning topic. 

Step  4:  Under  Study  load,  share  the  number  of  hours  of 
study (in terms of teaching hours and self-study hours) that 

are envisaged for this course. Where applicable, please also 

share the number of ECTS (or equivalent) credits that are 

associated with this course. This will provide the assessors 

Step 5: Under Delivery method, share information on how 
the content of the course will be delivered. Please note that if 
necessary, multiple delivery methods can be noted. 

Step 6: Under Evaluation method, provide information on 
how the participants’ newly acquired knowledge/skills will be 
assessed throughout and at the end of the course. Please be 
very specific (e.g. if it is a test, please specify what type of test: 
Multiple choice, oral exam, score on a written assignment).

HOW TO COMPLETE FORM 3 –  
COMPETENCIES ADDRESSED BY THE 
PROGRAMME

General comment: Visit the EU Customs Training Curricula 
for the public (Operational, Professional, Management compe-
tencies) and/or private sector (Operational competencies) and 
the EU RTP Proficiency Level Descriptions (all five docu-
ments appear in links in the form), and read through the learn-
ing topics and learning outcomes that have been identified for 
each competency in the respective proficiency levels. Please 
refer to these materials to improve your understanding 
of the content and scope of the competencies. 

Go through the form to determine how the RTP competencies 
are grouped: Operational competencies, Professional compe-
tencies and Management competencies (only in Form 3A).

The first three columns of the form (in grey) list each CustCompeu 
Competency, and refer to the respective EU Training Curriculum 
(public/private) and unique reference number each competency 

with a better understanding of the study load for each course.

holds for easy access.  

14
14

EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic ProgrammesStep 4: In case the programme addresses competencies that 
cannot be found in the comprehensive list in Form 3, include 
these  under  section  Additional  competencies  covered  by  the 
academic programme at the end of the form.

HOW TO COMPLETE FORM 4 – 
DEVIATIONS & MOTIVATION

Step 1: Under Deviation from EU RTP, share all the devi-
ations also found in Form 3 (i.e. a listed competency that 
the programme does not address). Please note that it is not a 
prerequisite to be 100% in line with the EU RTP. A good ration-
ale is likely to exist for the deviation. In case no deviations are 
documented in Form 3, there is no need to complete Form 4. 

Step  2:  Under  Motivation,  please  provide  the  reason(s)/ 
rationale for the deviations. The Assessment Board will look 
into the rationale provided to assess to what extent the devi-
ations effectively contribute to the quality of the programme 

under consideration.

Use Form 2 as your reference. Take one module description 
at a time and indicate which competencies from the list the 
module addresses. Note that Professional and Management 
(where applicable) competencies such as Time Management 
or Teamwork do not require to be trained in dedicated courses. 
They can be trained via a group working paper, thesis or 
transfer project.

Step 1: Under Dedicated hours, provide an accurate estimation 
of the total hours the programme devotes to the development 
of  this  competency  (including  training,  self-study,  assign-
ments, thesis, exams, etc.).

Step 2: Under Indicated proficiency level, the applicant is 
asked  to  put  an  “x”  to  mark  the  envisaged  outcome  of  the 
programme for each individual competency. Please note that 
programmes typically train up to PL2. Optimal proficiency lev-
els for programmes are indicated in yellow. Please note that 
it is not a requirement to be a 100% aligned with the optimal 
proficiency level for each competency. Please refer to the re-
lated document EU RTP Proficiency Level Definitions for better 
understanding of the proficiency levels.

Step  3:  Under  Modules  or  courses  in  the  programme, 
please  indicate  in  which  courses  this  competency  is  trained 
during the programme. The applicant should explicitly men-
tion the course reference number. Note that the applicant can 
also refer to an event or an assignment that is part of a course 
or the wider programme (e.g. thesis). The Assessment Board 
will use this information to look up the data provided by the 

applicant in Form 2 to confirm their accuracy.

15
15

Application GuideSection 4
More information?

In case you require further assistance with your application, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section in this 

document. Alternatively, you can contact the Certificate of Recognition Secretariat on EU-CertificateOfRecognition@ec.europa.eu.

FAQs

WHO CAN PURSUE EU RECOGNITION 
FOR CUSTOMS ACADEMIC  
PROGRAMMES? 

‣  Who  can  pursue  EU  recognition  for  Customs 

Private and public universities, higher education institutions, 

academic programmes?

business schools and colleges registered in the EU that 

‣  What eligibility criteria apply?

‣  What  costs  do  I  need  to  take  into  account  to 

obtain recognition?

‣  Why should I pursue recognition for my Customs 

academic programmes?

‣  I am an EU-based academic provider and my 
programme meets the eligibility criteria. What 
do I need to do?

‣  How  long  does  the  EU  Customs  Certificate  of 
Recognition for my programme remain valid?

‣  Can I easily renew my EU Customs Certificate of 

Recognition? 

develop and/or deliver Customs academic programmes can 

pursue the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition.

WHAT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA APPLY?

Three eligibility criteria apply. These criteria need to be met in 

order to initiate the EU recognition process:

1.  Criterion 1 – The academic programme is accredited

Public  and  private  sector  academic  study  programmes  are 

required to be accredited. National or international accreditation 

for Master’s or Bachelor’s programmes (or modules thereof), 

is  typically  provided  by  governmental  or  officially  authorised 

accreditation bodies. Accreditation implies that the study pro-

‣  Which language conditions apply?

gramme is aligned to the Bologna Process6 (or equivalent).  

6  The Bologna Process is a collective effort of public authorities, universities, teachers, and students, together with stakeholder associations, employers, 
quality assurance agencies, international organisations and institutions, including the EC. The main focus of the Bologna Process is (a) the introduction 
of the three-cycle system (bachelor/master/doctorate); (b) strengthened quality assurance; and (c) easier recognition of qualifications and periods of 
study. For more information on the Bologna Process please visit: http://www.ehea.info/

16
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EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic ProgrammesIn case the applicant is seeking EU recognition for a Customs 
module rather than for a fully Customs-specific programme, 
the full programme of which the Customs module is a part 
of has to be accredited. 

In  case  no  accreditation  has  been  obtained  yet,  then  the 
procedure to obtain one should at least have been initiated, 
meaning that the initiation request has been submitted.

‣  Fully Customs-specific programmes: 

In  order  to  be  eligible  for  EU  Customs  recognition,  an 

overall  programme  must  consist  of  minimum  75% 

Customs-specific  content.  The  EU  Assessment  Board 

performs this assessment based on the information pro-

vided by the applicant in the application forms. Addition-

ally, the term “Customs” should be mentioned in the title 

2.  Criterion 2 – The academic programme must be 

of the academic programme. Exceptions to this rule will 

Customs-specific

be evaluated by the EU Assessment Board on a case-

The academic programme should have a significant focus on 
Customs-specific topics. This does not necessarily mean that 
the programme should be exclusively composed of Customs 
content  as  captured  in  the  CustCompeu  and  the  EU  RTP  for 
Academic Customs Education7. Examples of Customs-specif-
ic content are topics that are directly related to the Customs 
profession  (e.g.  origin,  valuation,  etc.),  as  well  as  more  ge-
neric topics that touch upon the Customs profession, such as 
International Trade, Financial Management, Logistics, etc. 
(non-exhaustive list).

Depending on the nature of the study programme, this crite-
rion will be different for:

by-case basis.

‣  Customs module(s) within wider Master's or Bachelor's 

programmes: 

In  order  to  be  eligible  for  EU  Customs  recognition,  a 

"Customs  module"  in  a  wider  Master’s  or  Bachelor’s 

programme  must  be  100%  Customs-specific,  and  the 

module  must  represent  minimum  30%  of  the  overall 

programme. This percentage will be calculated as the 
proportion of ECTS (or other equivalent) points8 devot-

ed to Customs-specific topics in the entire academic 

programme. 

7  The CustCompeu lists and describes the EU Customs Competencies. The associated EU RTP for Academic Customs Education is comprised of an indica-
tive list of competencies important to the Customs profession and aims to provide a point of reference for the creation of academic Customs training 
programmes or modules.

8  ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). ECTS is a tool that helps to understand the weight of the programme (and its 

individual subjects) in terms of hours of study.

17
17

Application Guide 
 
3.  Criterion 3 – The academic programme must be 

substantially in line with the EU RTP for Academic 

Customs Education

WHY SHOULD I PURSUE RECOGNITION 
FOR MY CUSTOMS ACADEMIC  
PROGRAMMES?

A minimum of 75% of the competencies included in the EU 

RTP for Academic Customs Education must be addressed by 

the academic programme for it to be eligible for EU recognition.  

This means that a programme needs to include:

The  EU  Certificate  of  Recognition  serves  as  a  quality  mark 

that will benefit both the academic study provider and sub-

sequent  students  (and  ultimately  the  Customs  profession 

within a Customs Administration or Trade organisation).

‣  Master’s programme: 

32 out of a total of 42 RTP competencies 

‣  Bachelor’s programme:

23 out of a total of 30 RTP competencies 

Upon successful completion of the recognition process, the 

academic programme is officially recognised by the European 

Commission. The academic study provider may use this rec-

ognition  to  increase  awareness  and  interest  in  their  study 

programmes. As such, the academic study providers are 

‣  Module(s) within a Master’s or Bachelor’s programme: 

permitted to:

16 out of a total of 21 RTP competencies 

with  an  additional  clustering  of  a  minimum  number  of 

Operational, Professional and Management (for Master's only) 

competencies depending on the programme.

WHAT COSTS DO I NEED TO TAKE 
INTO ACCOUNT TO OBTAIN  
RECOGNITION?

This initiative is supported by the EU Cooperation Programme 

‘Customs 2020’ and its successor programmes. 

‣  identify the academic programme using the official EU 

identification statement; 

‣  be included in the publicly available list of officially EU 
recognised Customs academic programmes communicated 

on the European Commission website. 

I AM AN EU-BASED ACADEMIC STUDY 
PROVIDER AND MY PROGRAMME 
MEETS THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. 
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

There are no fees associated with the application process to 

In short, you will need to demonstrate that the programme 

obtain the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition. 

in question is in line with the EU RTP for Academic Customs 

18
18

EU Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic Programmes 
 
It is however the responsibility of the academic study provider 
to manage the certificate for its programme(s). This means 
that when the end date of the current certificate is approaching, 
the training provider needs to request an extension. In this 
request the study provider should indicate if something has 
changed  during  the  three-year  period  and  what  the  impact 
was on the study programme.

WHICH LANGUAGE CONDITIONS  
APPLY?

The use of a common European language as a delivery lan-
guage (i.e. English as the language in which the study pro-
gramme is delivered) is not a requirement for EU recognition. 
However, the intention to include a subject covering the Cus-
toms specific English vocabulary (ESP – English for Specific 
Purposes) will be regarded as a positive attribute by the EU 
Assessment Board.

Nevertheless, please note that during the process of obtaining 
recognition, all communications (including the documentation 
requested during the application) will be conducted in English. 
The documentation required from the applicant is requested 
to be submitted in English.

Education.  In  order  to  do  this,  it  suffices  to  provide  the  re-
quired assessment documentation by filling out the applica-
tion forms in Section 3. In summary, for your programme the 
following condition will have to be met:

A minimum of 75% of the competencies of the EU RTP for 
Academic Customs Education must be addressed. Please note 
that additional content covering other competencies that are 
not part of the CustCompeu is allowed (and encouraged) to 
ensure the best possible fit with the learning objectives for 
the target group.

The  EU  Assessment  Board  verifies  this  percentage.  It  also 
evaluates  to  what  extent  the  competencies  taught  by  the 
programme sufficiently cover the learning topics and learn-
ing outcomes required. For more detailed information, please 
refer to Section 3.

HOW LONG DOES THE EU  
CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION FOR 
MY PROGRAMME REMAIN VALID? 

The EU Certificate of Recognition is valid for a period of three 
years. The start and end date are indicated on the certificate.

CAN I EASILY RENEW MY EU  
CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION?

Yes, you can easily renew your EU Certificate of Recognition. 
Especially in the case where there have been no changes to 
the programme and when no changes have been made to 
the CustCompeu since the previous application.

19
19

Application GuideEU Customs 
Certificate of  
Recognition  
Process  
Overview

Section 5
Annex

20

 
APPLICANT

EU ASSESSMENT BOARD

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

APPLICATION STAGE

Completes Initiation Request Documentation and 
sends to the Commission 
RECOMMENDED TIME PERIOD: BEFORE 01/12

Completes application forms and 
sends to the Commission 
DEADLINE: 31/12

Takes note of interest and provides further 
process information

Eligibility criteria 1,2 and 3 check

Eligible applicants

Non-eligible applicants

Shares 
application forms 
with EU 
Assessment Board

Application does 
not proceed to 
Assessment

 Commission 
informs applicant

ASSESSMENT STAGE - Ends 31/05/xx

Members of EU Assessment Board:
1. Review application forms individually
2. Perform qualitative evaluation 
3. Document individual recommendation

Visit to applicant’s training site (optional):
1. Present programme
2. Meet & give clarifications

Academic programme recognised: 
EU Customs Certificate of Recognition

Academic programme NOT recognised: Applicant 
can apply again during next cycle

Academic programme CONDITIONALLY
recognised: Applicant needs to take
appropriate measures

Assessment 
meeting:

1. Members 
of EU 
Assessment 
Board present
individual
recommendations 
& supporting 
arguments

2. EU 
Assessment 
Board seeks 
consensus and 
documents 
final 
recommendations 
to the
Commission

Documentation
fully approved

Documentation
NOT approved

Decides whether to grant recognition to 
programme under consideration, based on 
EU Assessment Board’s recommendation

Documentation
CONDITIONALLY 
APPROVED

The Commission decides to recognise

The Commision decides not to recognise

The Commission decides to recognise under specific conditions

VERIFICATION STAGE - Ends 31/08/xx

Takes appropriate actions based on  
conditions set by the Commission or opts out

Applicant proceeds with process

Receives required documentation and shares
this information with EU Assessment Board

Applicant ends
process

Verifies whether 
required conditions are met

End of process

All conditions fully met

Not all conditions fully met

Academic programme recognised: 
EU Customs Certificate of Recognition

Academic programme NOT recognised:  
Applicant can apply again during next cycle

The Commission decides to recognise

Decides whether to grant recognition to  
programme under consideration based on EU 
Assessment Board’s recommendation

The Commission decides not to recognise