About the content available

Is all the information produced by the WCO available?

The WCO is involved in a broad range of activities and makes extensive documentation available to Customs administrations to facilitate their day-to-day work. Some of these documents are freely accessible, such as the Harmonized System Nomenclature, and others are available to purchase in the Bookshop. You can visit the www.wcotradetools.org website, where you will find Customs standards (Harmonized System, Origin and Valuation) and other documents that provide a Customs regulatory framework.

For further information about WCO activities, please visit www.wcoomd.org.

Which standards and procedures are available?

The WCO’s Publications and Data Solutions Service produces and circulates the Customs Rules of Origin, Customs Valuation Rules and the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System or Harmonized System (HS):

• The Harmonized System is a means of designating products with the same code worldwide. It consists of a Nomenclature, Explanatory Notes and Classification Opinions.
• The Rules of Origin were prepared by the WCO for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to assist in the implementation and interpretation of the WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin.
• The Valuation Rules ensure that the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement is interpreted and applied in a uniform manner.

The Publications Service guarantees that these rules, which lie at the heart of trade, are authoritative and keeps them up to date. The main international conventions (Kyoto, Istanbul) can also be consulted.

I am looking for earlier versions of the Harmonized System.

The database contains the 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 versions of the Harmonized System. The earlier versions are not available online. If you need them for academic purposes, please contact our help desk using the form on the “Contact” page.