The International Customs Tariffs Bureau (BITD) translates, on behalf of its Member Countries, customs tariffs from all around the world, to facilitate and promote trade among the various economic actors. In this, the BITD is supporting the efforts of the World Customs Organization. The latter functions as a coordinating body while the BITD’s role is to aid governments and businesses involved in international trade.
The BITD collaborates primarily with the various ministries involved in domestic economic development as such bodies have always been responsible for distributing all tariff-related information likely to profit domestic enterprise.
Tariffs are consequently produced in book format and distributed under the name “International Customs Journal” and in electronic format, on interactive CD-ROM, enabling rapid searches to be made on key words or tariff codes.
The International Customs Journal includes all information on a particular country’s import tariff.
Information received directly from the ministries of the different countries (in a country’s national language – if it is one of the BITD’s five languages – or in English, if it is not) is converted to standard BITD layout by the relevant language section and then translated by the other sections.
The BITD is recognised as the only international organisation entitled to provide official translations of customs tariffs. If a discrepancy in any tariff received is discovered, the country in question is informed thereof. The country can then decide to make the relevant correction or to refrain from doing so.
The information contained in the International Customs Journal is also published on CD-ROM. This medium enables searches to be made on any terms within the Journal (code, description of goods, chemical product contained in the annexes, etc.) and allows users to print out the pages of their choice.
Each CD-ROM contains the tariff in all five of the BITD’s working languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Member Country users should click the “Member Countries” tab and follow the on-screen instructions (in the member country, select International Customs Journal Dispatch Centre).
Users in non-Member Countries should contact the bureau at the following address:
dir@bitd.org
Tel. +32 2 501 87 74
Each Journal (containing versions of the tariff in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish) costs, €150 + delivery.
Each CD-ROM (containing the tariff in all five languages) costs €150 + delivery.