The General Directorate of Customs has made available to interested parties the guidelines and forms applicable for the authorization, renewal, and monitoring of the certification of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Program, a necessary requirement to provide legal security to operators and to put this program into practice.
The AEO Program, according to Article 266 of the General Customs Law, is a trade operator that voluntarily complies with the requirements and conditions for the implementation of security measures in the logistics chain of goods, as well as for control, trade facilitation, and streamlining. In other words, the company becomes a secure and reliable entity for the Customs Authority, facilitating its operations in the country and allowing it to enjoy this benefit for four years.
The main benefits of acquiring this certification are related to
- Facilitation measures: deferred payment, cumulative declarations, streamlining and prioritizing dispatch procedures, customs controls, and processing attention, priority in attention under threat conditions, and receipt of goods at company facilities, among others.
- Additionally, there are benefits related to extended service hours, reduced physical and document controls, priority in the movement of cargo at border crossings, and recognition as a safe and reliable operator, among others.
- International recognition of AEOs through Mutual Recognition Arrangements or Agreements (for example, Central America, Colombia, China).
The key pillar of this certification is linked to the World Customs Organization’s Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade. It is a comprehensive set of standards aimed at providing security to the logistics chain and facilitating trade. This framework is fundamental for creating a modern customs system, as the partnership between customs authorities and private companies offers solutions to the main challenges of trade operations.
The history of the AEO in the country dates back several years. Previously, the regulations related to AEO were mainly governed by Executive Decrees (36461-H and 38998-H). However, with the recent reforms to customs regulations, the AEO figure is now included in higher-ranking regulations. Currently, with the entry into force of the Uniform Central American Code and its regulations, and the reform of the General Customs Law through Law No. 10271 and its regulations, a series of regulations concerning the benefits, obligations, requirements, and procedures applicable to the authorization of this figure have been introduced.
Furthermore, as part of the Program’s promotion, in August 2024, Resolution No. MH-DGA-RES-1153-2024 was published. This resolution establishes the guidelines and forms applicable for the authorization, renewal, and monitoring of the authorized economic operator.
With these changes, the AEO Program allows interested parties to meet the requirements to obtain certification. Moreover, it is an evolving project that aims to open more sectors, establish new recognition agreements, implement Blockchain technology for information exchange (CADENA), and create a new portal for certification in the future.
At Consortium, we consider this to be a topic of interest for companies operating in the country, as the AEO Program can be a significant benefit in the pursuit of a more resilient, secure, and efficient logistics chain.