Warehousing and storage of goods
Find out which non-EU goods can be brought into the different types of existing warehouses.
Special Free Zone Regime
What is a free zone?
Free zones are not expressly defined in Regulation 952/2013 establishing the Union's customs code. However, they could be defined as closed parts of the customs territory of the Union, separated from the rest of it, in which all types of goods that do not belong to the Union can be stored, without being subject to:
- to import duties;
- to other charges prescribed by other relevant provisions in force;
- to commercial policy measures to the extent that they do not prohibit the entry of goods into or from the customs territory of the Union.
It is the Member States who designate, according to their will, that certain parts of the customs territory of the Union be considered free zones.
Member States must communicate to the European Commission information on the free zones operating in their respective territories, which must be fenced. The perimeter and access and exit points of the free zones will be subject to customs surveillance, and both merchandise and means of transport entering or leaving the free zone may be subject to customs controls.