Calculating the reference amount for the comprehensive guarantee

The amount for a comprehensive guarantee must correspond to an established reference amount. In your application for authorization, you must provide a provisional reference amount. Find out how to calculate the amount below.

In the application for authorization for a comprehensive guarantee, you enter a provisional reference amount. Swedish Customs will then review the amount and determine a final reference amount. We do this partly based on the information you provide in the application and partly based on other available information. The final amount may therefore be different from the one you enter in the application.

The guarantee must cover all debts

The reference amount should be set at the maximum amount of the customs duties and any other charges. If the customs duties and other charges vary over time, the guarantee amount must be sufficient to cover the customs duties and, where applicable, other charges at all times. If you have a comprehensive guarantee authorization, it is you obligation to monitor that the current reference amount is not exceeded.

The reference amount is calculated slightly differently depending on whether the guarantee is to cover existing debts, for example in the event of a suspension of payments, or debts that may arise. The latter may be relevant, for example, in the case of special procedures and temporary storage, where customs duties and other charges may be incurred if the procedure or storage is terminated incorrectly.

Depending on your business, you may need to provide a guarantee either for existing debts, for debts that may arise, or both.

Existing debts

For the guarantee to cover customs duties and other charges incurred, the reference amount should be equal to the amount of customs duties and other charges to be paid. If you are registered for VAT with the Swedish Tax Agency, you do not normally need to provide a guarantee for VAT.
To enable Swedish Customs to determine the reference amount for debts that have arisen, it is important that you describe in the application in the field “Description of the guarantee’s reference amount” how you arrived at the amount and provide information on the value of the goods, customs duty, other import charges and any VAT.

Debts that may arise

For the guarantee covering customs duties and other charges which may be incurred, the reference amount shall be the amount of customs duties and other charges that may become payable during the period specified below:

1. For goods placed under the end-use procedure: from the moment the goods are placed under the procedure until the supervision of the goods is discharged.
2. For goods placed under other customs procedures: from the moment the goods are placed under a customs procedure until the procedure is discharged.
3. For goods in temporary storage: from the moment the goods are declared for temporary storage until the temporary storage ends.

To enable Swedish Customs to determine the reference amount for debts that may arise, it is important that you describe in the application in the field “Description of the reference amount of the guarantee” how you have arrived at the amount and provide information on the value of the goods, customs duty, other import duties, any VAT and the average period between the placing of goods under a procedure and the discharge of the procedure.

Normally, you do not need to add VAT to the reference amount, except in the case of transit where VAT must always be included in the reference amount.