Customs Inspection

Customs inspection (physical examination) is the physical checking of goods by customs officials to verify that goods correspond to the data declared in the customs declaration — particularly the description, quantity, weight, tariff classification, and customs value. It is regulated in Art. 188-189 UCC.

Customs inspection may include: opening packages and containers, visual examination, weighing and measuring, sampling for laboratory analysis, and scanning (X-ray or gamma-ray). The decision to conduct inspection is based on risk analysis — customs IT systems automatically select high-risk declarations.

Customs inspection can delay clearance by several hours to several days. Inspection costs are usually borne by the importer.