As an authorized consignor, you must always additionally secure goods that you want to transport using the transit procedure with special seals.

Your goods can be

• under a space seal, for example a container, or
• under a package seal, i.e. a transport container that must be physically secured,

to be physically secured. A special seal is, for example, a seal that is attached to the container or package.

The special seals are intended to guarantee identification in the shipping procedure. They are therefore intended to ensure that the shipped goods arrive unchanged at the customs office of destination. Damage to and removal of the special seals can have consequences under customs law.

The responsible customs office decides whether a special seal is required for your specific consignment when you declare the shipment. It may waive the sealing requirement if the description of the goods in the declaration data is so precise that the identity of the goods can be easily determined. For example, in the case of motor vehicles transported under the transit procedure, by stating the engine and chassis number.

Authorization for use

As an authorized consignor, you can affix special, officially approved seals yourself. However, as an authorized consignor, you require a permit to use the special seals. You must apply for this authorization in writing to your responsible main customs office.

If the responsible main customs office approves the use of special closures in writing, all special closures that you are permitted to use are listed in the notification.
You can also apply for the use of various special closures with an application for authorization.

You can find a "List of special closures used" on the website of the Directorate General of Customs. All of the closures listed there have already been approved once within the Union. As a rule, the authorities assume their suitability without further examination.
You can also apply for the use of any other closure. However, before the customs authorities can authorize its use, it must be tested and approved.

An individual code is also assigned to you as an authorized consignor in the authorization. It consists of the country code "DE" and a 4-digit number. You must inform the supplier of your closure of this code when ordering. It must be affixed to each individual closure.