The Academy recognises holders of this award to be 'Accredited Customs Professionals'.
This qualification covers a comprehensive range of topics in customs compliance and regulation.
Successful completion of this award, combined with the Level 4 Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance, will provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to competently perform the wide range of activities expected of a customs professional, both in the UK and overseas.
Throughout the course you will have access to a tutor to answer enquiries related to the syllabus, and to provide explanations and further reading. All our tutors are appropriately qualified and have extensive experience working within the customs profession.
You can choose to study the full Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Customs Compliance or you can study two modules to achieve a Level 5 Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance:
- International perspective and application
Or
- National & regional perspective
Students of this course will also receive free access to the Legislation Finder and Declaration Portal tools.
For more information about all the qualifications we offer and why you should study with us, either download our brochure or contact [email protected].
Entry requirements
Candidates must be 19 years of age or over and must have successfully completed the Level 4 Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance. Candidates with a relevant existing degree from a recognised University and/or more than 5 years’ experience in international trade will be considered for direct entry into the Diploma.
Note: this qualification articulates into the Bachelor of Border Management and the Master of Customs Administration offered by Charles Sturt University’s Centre for Customs and Excise Studies, both of which are accredited by the World Customs Organization as meeting the requirements of the Customs profession.
Modules
International perspective
1. Customs at the global level
2. International customs conventions and instruments
These modules address:
- How trade and customs is organised at the global level, including key international organisations and their role in international customs law
- Schemes to ensure supply chain security
- Trade facilitation initiatives
- Partnership with trade
- Other aspects of cross-border management
Learning outcomes
By the time you have completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand how trade and customs is organised at the international level
- Understand how international customs treaties and standards are established and managed
Assessment criteria
- Explain how customs is organised at the international level
- Explain the structure of the international regulatory and administrative bodies involved in world customs
- Evaluate how international customs laws and standards are managed
- Evaluate the development of international conventions and instruments in world customs
- Evaluate supply chain security initiatives at the global level
- Analyse the development and management of global arrangements relating to trade prohibitions and restrictions
International application
3. Practical aspects of customs: the Harmonized System
4. Practical aspects of customs: international valuation rules
5. Practical aspects of customs: rules of origin
These modules address practical aspects of international customs regulation, with a focus on those elements of international transactions upon which key cross-border decisions are made, including the application of trade measures, and calculation of customs duties and other taxes.
Learning outcomes
By the time you have completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand how international treaties influence the global application of customs policies and procedures
- Understand the role played by international treaties and standards in achieving globally harmonised customs arrangements and the facilitation of international trade
Assessment criteria
- Analyse the way in which national tariffs are influenced by international standards and conventions
- Explain the way in which the international nomenclature is maintained
- Demonstrate how the Harmonised System is used to classify commodities
- Evaluate international guidelines on customs valuation rules and how they are applied
- Demonstrate how the valuation rules are used to support the assessment of import duties
- Evaluate the international standards relating to rules of origin
- Analyse the way in which rules or origin are used to facilitate tariff and non-tariff measures
Regional perspective
6. EU customs legislation and regulation
7. Union Customs Code
These modules examine:
- The European Union as a customs union
- EU customs law, EU customs regimes and procedures
- Import and export prohibitions and restrictions including military and dual-use controls
- Practical aspects of EU customs procedures
The study of EU customs law is greatly simplified through the use of our web-based Legislation Finder tool.
Learning outcomes
By the time you have completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand how the European Union operates as a customs union
- Understand the EU Customs Code
- Understand the EU's Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) arrangements
Assessment criteria
- Discuss the development of the EU customs union and explain how it is organised
- Evaluate how the Union Customs Code and international trade regulations operate in relation to the EU Customs Union
- Evaluate the way in which the Union Customs Code interacts with related EU customs legislation
- Demonstrate how the EU customs tariff is applied
- Evaluate customs duty management and tariff measures, EU valuation of goods for customs purposes and EU preferential trade agreements
- Explain the purpose and general principles of Authorised Economic Operator status and evaluate the procedures for applying for AEO status
National perspective
8. UK customs regulation and procedures
9. UK import and export licensing controls
10. Declaring goods to HMRC
These modules examine:
- HMRC and other UK controlling bodies involved in international trade
- The application of EU customs law in the UK
- HMRC systems, procedures and guidelines
- UK procedures relating to import and export controls
- The UK Integrated Tariff
- Practical aspects of declaration preparation, which is greatly simplified through the use of our web-based Declaration Portal tool
Learning outcomes
By the time you have completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand the role of HMRC in the UK
- Understand how to comply with UK import and export licensing controls
- Understand third country customs procedures in the UK, including the declaration process
Assessment criteria
- Discuss the role of HMRC and other authorised bodies in relation to UK trade
- Analyse the purpose of third country customs procedures in the UK
- Evaluate storage procedures, temporary movements and returned goods, and transit procedures
- Evaluate the use of non-fiscal controls including export licence controls and import licence controls
- Explain the way in which the UK Integrated Tariff may be used to identify trade and customs requirements and to support compliance
- Evaluate the purpose of customs declarations, including the maintenance and reporting of required information
- Analyse the way in which duty is calculated in the UK
- Explain how to declare goods to HMRC
Study commitment
As a guide, for the FULL Level 5 Diploma, you should expect to study for a total of around 380 hours to complete all modules. The course must be completed within two years, but the usual period of study is 12 months. These are recommended hours only, as the completion time will vary from student to student.
The 2 parts of the “Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance” will involve a total of approximately 190 hours each to complete and each part will have a 12 month completion time.
Assessment
Knowledge checks
Throughout the course you will be required to answer a series of questions relating to the module that you are studying. Questions take a variety of forms, including tariff classification, duty calculation, declaration completion and more.
These knowledge checks represent 50% of your final mark in the course.
Assignments
You will also be required to complete two written assignments that relate to the practical application of customs procedures in the working environment.
Each of these two assignments represent 25% of your final mark in the course.
Grade
Once you have completed all the modules and assessments, you will receive a Certificate showing the grade you have obtained
Pass: 60% to 74%
Credit: 75% to 84%
Distinction: 85% and above.
If you do not achieve a score of 60% or higher, you will need to undertake a supplementary assessment at the end of the course.
Fees
The cost of the qualification is £3000, split as follows:
Level 5 Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance – International Perspective & Application £1500
Level 5 Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance – National & Regional Perspective - £1500