AEO and customs authorisations, handled end to end.

An Authorised Economic Operator is a business that customs has recognised as a trusted trader, one that meets agreed standards for compliance, record-keeping, financial standing and security. In return, AEO holders get faster clearance, fewer customs checks and reduced financial guarantees. Gaston Schul prepares the application and the procedures behind it, and we hold AEO ourselves.

AEOC (Customs Simplifications) gives you the customs and financial benefits, simplified procedures and reduced guarantees. AEOS (Safety and Security) gives you the supply-chain security benefits, priority and lighter security checks. Hold both and you have the combined AEOC/S. We help you choose the one that matches what your business actually does.

It is not a legal requirement, but it is fast becoming an expectation. AEO makes your customs faster and cheaper, and more and more supply chains now ask their partners to hold it. If you import or export at any scale, the question is usually when, not whether.

Fewer document and physical checks, faster clearance, and reduced or waived guarantees on your deferment, transit and special procedures, so you hold less cash as security. It is also the foundation for most customs simplifications, and a credential customers increasingly look for.

It depends on how ready you are. Once the application is lodged, the customs authority has a set assessment window, but the real work is the preparation beforehand. With our gap assessment first, the whole process usually runs over a few months, and we tell you the realistic timeline for your business up front.

The customs authority assesses your procedures, records and controls, usually with an on-site visit. We prepare you for exactly what they examine, and we are there with you on the day, so the assessment goes smoothly. After approval, the status is monitored and re-assessed over time, which we also handle.

Yes, we run the project end to end: we assess your gaps, write the procedures, complete the self-assessment questionnaire, lodge the application, manage the authority and prepare you for the audit. The one part we cannot do for you is be your people: the auditor will want to speak to your warehouse, IT and finance leads directly. We keep that to the minimum and brief them fully, so the demand on your team is the operational input only they can give, not the administrative load.

Both. AEO is the headline, but we also arrange and maintain your deferment account and guarantees, inward and outward processing, customs warehousing, temporary admission, end-use, simplified procedures and import/export licences, the full set of authorisations your operation runs on.

AEO is recognised EU-wide, and through mutual recognition agreements it is respected in several countries beyond the EU too. Because Gaston Schul works as one operating model across our markets, you have a single partner managing your authorisations wherever you trade.