Before the first shipment
- EORI number registered in your member state
- Correct HS classification and a defensible customs value
- VAT treatment agreed with your accountant, including import VAT deferral if available
- Clarity on who is the declared importer of record
Product-side obligations
Depending on category: CE marking and a Declaration of Conformity, REACH restrictions on chemicals such as azo dyes and chromium VI in leather, textile fibre composition labelling, and country-of-origin marking. Ask the supplier for test reports from an accredited laboratory, not a self-declaration.
Due diligence is becoming the norm
EU rules are steadily shifting responsibility up the chain: deforestation-linked commodities including leather already carry due-diligence duties, and broader supply-chain diligence expectations are expanding. Documented supplier verification stops being a nice-to-have and becomes a file you must be able to produce.
What a verification file should contain
Company registration and export documents, dated site photographs, production capacity, sub-supplier map for each stage, test reports, and inspection findings. Amanect issues this as a single report per supplier so it can be handed to a customer, an auditor or an insurer.
Questions buyers ask
Who is liable if a product fails EU rules — me or the factory?
As the EU importer, you are. Recourse against a supplier abroad exists in contract, but the regulator comes to you first.
Are supplier test reports enough?
Only if they come from an accredited laboratory, reference your product and are recent. Reports for a similar item from three years ago are common and are not enough.
Is Amanect a certification body?
No. Amanect provides independent verification and inspection reporting. Formal certification is issued by accredited bodies, and we tell you when your product needs one.