Europe is a potential market in parallel with the challenge for Vietnamese exporters. Exporters must not only be aware of the needs and tastes of this market but also understand and master the knowledge and procedures of exporting goods to Europe as well as update the news and agreements affecting its export business in future.

Goods export procedures

In order to export goods to the European market in particular and other countries and continents in general, enterprises must have the following documents:
1. Sales contract between buyer (importer) and seller (exporter).
2. Commercial Invoice lists the value of goods
3.Packing List declare the quantity of goods for each item and packing specifications, the total number of packages for export.
4. Certificate of Origin: This document is important for European goods because not only importers will receive tax incentives when the exporter provides a certificate of origin. In some countries in the European Union, some goods are required to have this certificate.
CE Marking – Certificate of European Common Market. CE Marking stands for “Conformité Européenne” as a testimony to the fact that goods labeled CE are very easily circulated throughout Europe as it demonstrates that the quality of the product is in line with the European standard.

Some regulations need to be taken into consideration when carrying out procedures for exporting goods into the EU

ENS: In order to ensure security in the region, European customs regulate entry of goods into the market must be made through the entry summary declaration of the goods details. For example, when exporting, the sender may declare the goods as garment. However, with ENS, the sender or agent should clearly declare in the Invoice & Packing List what color of jacket, pants or trousers …

More clarify and more detailed about the exporter and importer with the full information: company name, address, recipient name, telephone number, email, tax identification number and possibly EORI number identity card of citizens in Europe)

Period and method of declaration of ENS: According to regulations, goods must be declared before leaving the port 24 hours if going directly to the European port or before leaving the transit port 24 hours if the goods go indirectly through an other country to Europe. The ENS declaration is usually made by the transport agent and communicates directly to the EU customs.

Finally, in 2018, the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will officially come into force. As a result, nearly 86% of tariff lines, equivalent to 70% of Vietnam’s export turnover to the EU will be eliminated as soon as the agreement comes into effect. This is a great opportunity for exporters to continue to push into the stronger European market. However, Vietnamese exporters also need to pay attention to and improve the quality of their export products as removing tariff barriers also means tightening customs inspection and quality control procedures and origin of the product.