Customs officials are now starting to ask for some evidence of EU REACH compliance for EU imports. This is being done via document codes.
Document codes are required on customs declarations covering goods which might need specific certificates, authorizations, licenses or even exemptions.
As of February 2023, operators importing in EU are to mention on their customs declaration either of the following updated document codes:
Y106: Compliance with the REACH restrictions defined in Column 2 of Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006;
Y110: Exemption from REACH restrictions by virtue of Article 67(1) and (2) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006;
Y113: Product not subject to the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (Annex XVII).
Operators importing substances subject to the provisions of the REACH Regulation but not falling under Annex XVII (restriction list) may therefore refer to Y113.
Background:
In November 2022, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) announced that, over the 2023-2025 period, a REACH enforcement project would investigate how companies fulfil the registration, authorization and restriction obligations for products and chemicals they import from outside the EU. To this end, cooperation from national customs authorities in the Member States was sought.
