ELAN: Electronic system for Agricultural Non-customs formalities

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1271 of 6 May 2025 amending Implementing Regulations (EU) 2016/1239, (EU) 2020/761, (EU) 2020/1988 and (EU) 2023/2834 as a consequence of the establishment of the Electronic system for Agricultural Non-customs formalities (ELAN), and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 as regards two new tariff quota numbers for imports of rice from Bangladesh

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1272 of 6 May 2025 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the electronic system for agricultural non-customs formalities (ELAN)

Update

The European Commission has established a new Electronic system for Agricultural Non-customs formalities (ELAN) that will allow authorities in European Union (EU) and non-EU countries to process and store documents relating to agri-food trade. These include documents issued by non-EU authorities to secure tariff rate quota licences. ELAN will be part of the EU’s Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). This new system aims to streamline cooperation between authorities.

The Commission has also published details of the data model and certificate format for use by non-EU authorities to issue certificates that are compatible with ELAN.

From 17 January 2028, all certificates issued by non-EU authorities will have to be notified to ELAN using the new format. From July 2025, an ELAN testing environment (“acceptance environment”) is open which allows ELAN users to test the system.

What is changing?

The new ELAN system

The European Commission has established an Electronic Agricultural Non-customs formalities system (ELAN) that will support the management and storage of non-customs documents (certificates of authenticity/eligibility, certificates of origin) required in the trade of agri-food products (Regulation 2025/1272). For non-EU countries, this concerns:

• documents issued to support imports into the EU under tariff rate quotas referred to in Regulations 2020/761 (Annexes II–XII) and 2020/1988 (Annex II)
• documents required to export under tariff quotas in the sheepmeat and goatmeat sectors in Regulation 2020/1988 (Art. 31)
• authenticity certificates related to the export of Basmati rice, referred to in Regulation 2023/2834.

EU authorities will also use the ELAN system to issue and manage import licences.

From January 2028, non-EU authorities must either produce these documents directly in ELAN, or transmit them to ELAN from their own national electronic systems. From October 2028, ELAN will automatically verify the validity of the documents.

Amending EU import rules to take account of ELAN

The Regulations that set out the rules for managing tariff rate quotas and import licences have been amended to take account of the switch to the new ELAN system. Most significantly, where the documents referred to above are required for export, they must be issued in line with a new certificate template: ELAN1L-TCDOC (Regulation 2025/1271, Annex II).

Testing the new system

From 15 July 2025, non-EU authorities can access ELAN to undertake tests in issuing and transmitting documents in an “ELAN acceptance environment”. As this is simply for testing, documents transmitted and issued in this acceptance environment do not have legal value (Regulation 2020/761, new Art. 72a).

Why?

The EU is systematically moving towards an electronic information exchange system linking all customs authorities and other relevant bodies in EU and non-EU countries. The new ELAN system will be interconnected with the EU Single Window Environment for Customs. See Proposal to reform the EU Customs Union.

Timeline

From 17 January 2028, non-EU authorities must issue the documents referred to above using the ELAN1L-TCDOC template in ELAN or in their own national electronic system, and transmit them through ELAN.

From 15 July 2025, all ELAN users can access the system’s “acceptance environment” for testing purposes. Documents created or transmitted in this environment will not have any legal value, and cannot be used for customs clearance.

What are the major implications for exporting countries?

Non-EU authorities must ensure that they are in a position to use the ELAN1L-TCDOC template by January 2028, and that national electronic systems for collecting the relevant data or issuing origin certificates are compatible with ELAN.

Background

The aim of ELAN is to support the implementation of some of the rules in Regulation 1308/2013. That Regulation establishes a common organisation of the markets for agricultural products (except for fishery and aquaculture products). Among other requirements, it sets out rules on import and export licences, import duties, tariff quotas, safeguards, and export refunds.

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