Vienna · AustriaWONE Global Capability Partner · Austria
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Cases · Markets, trade & operations · International trade, customs & sanctions
Prepare for a customs investigation
Customs is questioning our imports. How do we respond?
WONE Global brings in customs professionals to review the period, prepare the response and negotiate with customs.
Countries in the typical case South Africa
The situation
What is happening
Customs questions the value, origin or classification of imports.
What is at stake
Customs investigations can cover several years of imports and lead to large claims and penalties.
Who faces this
- Corporations
- Mid-sized companies
A scenario
ImporterMid-sized company · from South Africa · in South Africa
It faces a customs claim on undervaluation over three years.
Where it ends A claim reduced to what is owed.
A representative scenario of the work WONE Global coordinates, not a specific client’s matter.
Also asked as “Customs audit”“Origin or valuation challenge”“A customs valuation audit has begun”
The solution
How WONE Global handles it
WONE Global brings in customs professionals to review the period, prepare the response and negotiate with customs.
Usually led by Customs, trade and export controls, with Tax and structuring and Disputes and arbitration.
Step by step, in the scenario
- Weeks 1-3Imports reviewed.
- Week 4Response.
- Months 2-4Negotiation.
- ThenSettlement.
Timings are typical. They depend on the countries, the authorities involved and how quickly documents are available.
Decisions
The decisions involved
- 01Exposure and penalties
- 02Evidence of value and origin
- 03Settlement or appeal
Outcomes
What you receive
- An exposure review
- Response to customs
- Settlement or appeal
This is a general guide. Your WONE Global professional confirms the work, timing and fees for your markets before anything starts.
Services
The services involved
One area of expertise usually leads; the others move with it. WONE Global keeps them connected across every country involved.
Who handles it
Customs, trade and export controls, market by market
The status of the lead service in the markets that matter for this case. A named WONE Global Partner acts under their own licence; where none is in place yet, WONE Global confirms availability before anything else.
- South Africain the typical case On request Availability confirmed before any work begins Bring a requirement →
- India On request Availability confirmed before any work begins Bring a requirement →
- Saudi Arabia On request Availability confirmed before any work begins Bring a requirement →
- Singapore On request Availability confirmed before any work begins Bring a requirement →
- United Arab Emirates On request Availability confirmed before any work begins Bring a requirement →
- United Kingdom On request Availability confirmed before any work begins Bring a requirement →
- United States On request Availability confirmed before any work begins Bring a requirement →
Other markets: WONE Global covers 100 countries. Name yours in the requirement →
Vienna · Austria
Douala · CameroonWONE Global Capability Partner · Cameroon
Edmond Christian AKOA MBALLA
Bogotá · ColombiaWONE Global Capability Partner · Colombia
Katherin Diaz Velilla
Complete profile
- Tax and structuringNamed lead
- Licences, permits and regulatorsNamed lead
- Buying, selling and investingNamed lead
International tax attorney and strategic advisor with 12+ years across Colombia's DIAN, Ministry of Finance, Senate, Presidency, and EY. Co-founder of V&V Asociados. Specializes in cross-border tax structuring, transfer…
Quito · EcuadorWONE Global Capability Partner · Ecuador
Mauro Tejada Ramon
Professional with 20 years of experience in Tax Administration, performing functions in the managerial and tax administration fields. Experience related to the fiscal field in the main sectors of the economy: Banking, c…
Munich · GermanyWONE Global Capability Partner · Germany
Ulrike Berner, MBA
Ulrike Berner has been Managing Director and shareholder of BSP since 2021, leading the strategic direction, client relationships, and business development of the firm. She has extensive experience working with firms an…
Kowloon · Hong KongWONE Global Capability Partner · Hong Kong
Yvonne Chow
Ms. Chow, our director, graduated from Smith College (US), and obtained her master's degree in Religion from Yale University. She is an associate member of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Institu…
Discover
Where this case connects
The markets, corridors and guides behind this case, and the questions to put to Ask WONE below. Every link opens a page that links back here.
Markets in the typical case
Services and subject
Worked examples
How it goes in practice
Researched corridor journeys, and representative scenarios on the same subject. None is a specific client’s matter.
- Mid-sized company · from Turkey · in United KingdomIt has received its first large order from a UK buyer and has never exported there before.How WONE Global handles it →
- Mid-sized company · from China · in Germany, FranceIt has quoted delivered-duty-paid into the EU without being registered for VAT there.How WONE Global handles it →
- Mid-sized company · from United Kingdom · in VietnamIt pays 12% duty on a product that may qualify for 0% under a trade agreement.How WONE Global handles it →
International trade, customs & sanctions
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WONE Global Intelligence
Ask about doing business across borders
Ask in your own words. Answers come from WONE Global's checked records, with every source shown, and end with the named Partner who can act. Go deeper on any point, or build a decision file.