Customs and Excise Tax Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Customs and Trade Compliance Managers, Tax Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-T-032

Before you join: Participants should have working experience in finance, tax, logistics, procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, import/export operations or customs administration.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Customs duty, import VAT and excise liabilities are often determined by operational decisions made long before a declaration is submitted. Incorrect tariff classification, origin evidence gaps, undervalued imports, poorly controlled bonded stock or incomplete excise records can create duty assessments, interest, penalties, shipment delays and audit findings. Finance, tax, procurement, logistics and trade teams need a shared method for controlling these exposures while using lawful reliefs and suspension regimes.

This course develops practical customs and excise tax management capability across the import, export, manufacturing and distribution cycle. Participants examine Harmonized System classification, preferential and non-preferential origin, customs valuation, Incoterms 2020, import procedures, bonded warehousing, inward processing, duty drawback and excise accounting. They learn to connect customs declarations with purchase orders, commercial invoices, broker instructions, ERP data, transfer-pricing documentation and general ledger records. The course also addresses internal controls, post-entry reviews, voluntary disclosures, customs audits, disputes and management reporting.

Instructor-led sessions combine focused technical briefings with realistic cases involving imported equipment, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, alcoholic products and manufacturing inputs. Participants work through declaration evidence, valuation adjustments, origin claims, excise stock movements and audit-response scenarios. They leave with a reusable customs and excise control pack containing transaction-mapping, risk-register, evidence-review and action-planning templates. Delivery is available as a five-day classroom course in 50+ cities or live online, with a certificate of completion issued to participants who complete the course.

The course is designed for professionals who already work with import, export, tax, finance, supply chain, manufacturing or customs broker processes and need stronger control over customs and excise obligations.

What you will be able to do

  • Apply General Rules for Interpretation to classify goods under the Harmonized System
  • Determine preferential and non-preferential origin using documentary evidence and origin tests
  • Calculate customs value using the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement methods
  • Select appropriate import, export, suspension and relief procedures for transactions
  • Prepare excise duty calculations, stock records and periodic return support
  • Build a customs and excise risk register with ownership and control ratings
  • Conduct post-entry declaration reviews and quantify potential duty exposures
  • Create a 90-day customs and excise compliance improvement plan

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence reviewing tariff codes, origin claims and customs values
  • Ability to identify duty-suspension and relief opportunities before transactions occur
  • Practical methods for challenging broker errors and incomplete declaration evidence
  • Stronger contribution to customs audits, disclosures and assessment responses
  • A documented 90-day plan for improving customs and excise controls

For your organisation

  • Reduced exposure to underpaid duties, excise liabilities, interest and penalties
  • More accurate customs declarations supported by consistent evidence files
  • Better recovery of eligible duty drawback and relief claims
  • Improved reconciliation between brokers, ERP records, tax accounts and inventory
  • Clearer accountability across tax, finance, procurement, logistics and brokers

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can map customs and excise obligations across a goods transaction lifecycle.

  • Customs duty, import VAT, excise duty and trade remedies distinguished
  • Revenue authorities, border agencies and traders mapped by statutory responsibility
  • Taxable events identified from importation, manufacture, release and export
  • Territoriality, free zones, bonded facilities and suspension regimes compared
  • Customs law hierarchy: statutes, regulations, rulings, notices and guidance
  • Build a transaction map from purchase order to final disposition
  • Separate customs valuation exposure from indirect tax accounting exposure

Participants can classify goods and determine origin using accepted customs methods.

  • Apply General Rules for Interpretation to classify imported goods
  • Read Harmonized System headings, section notes, chapter notes and exclusions
  • Document classification rationale using product specifications, photographs and rulings
  • Determine preferential origin under product-specific rules and cumulation provisions
  • Non-preferential origin tests: substantial transformation, tariff shift and value-added
  • Maintain supplier declarations, bills of materials and origin calculations
  • Control classification and origin changes through master-data governance

Participants can determine customs value and support it with defensible evidence.

  • WTO Customs Valuation Agreement methods sequenced from transaction value
  • Test related-party prices using circumstances-of-sale and test-value evidence
  • Add assists, royalties, commissions, packing and proceeds correctly
  • Exclude post-importation costs, domestic taxes and qualifying buying commissions
  • Reconcile commercial invoices, transfer-pricing files and customs declarations
  • Prepare valuation adjustments for rebates, credits and retroactive price changes
  • Defend declared value with an auditable evidence pack

Participants can manage declaration processes, broker controls and import procedures.

  • Sequence pre-arrival filing, entry declaration, release and post-clearance obligations
  • Match Incoterms 2020 allocations to customs declarant and valuation data
  • Choose import procedures: home use, warehousing, transit, processing and temporary admission
  • Manage broker instructions, powers of attorney and declaration approvals
  • Reconcile entry data against purchase orders, receipts and invoices
  • Monitor release conditions, licences, permits and partner-government-agency requirements
  • Escalate holds, queries and disputes before storage charges accrue

Participants can assess and control duty-relief and suspension arrangements.

  • Assess eligibility for inward processing, outward processing and duty drawback
  • Design bonded warehouse controls for stock, movements, wastage and discharge
  • Calculate drawback claims from import entries, bills and export evidence
  • Apply temporary admission conditions, security requirements and re-export deadlines
  • Free-zone movements controlled through inventory records and customs messaging
  • Compare duty-suspension cash benefits against compliance and security costs
  • Close procedures using discharge evidence, reconciliations and retention schedules

Participants can calculate excise duty and maintain records for excisable goods.

  • Identify excisable goods, chargeable events and licensed premises obligations
  • Calculate excise liability using specific, ad valorem and composite rates
  • Account for manufacture, receipt, storage, movement and release for consumption
  • Maintain excise stock accounts, production records and loss evidence
  • Control denatured, exempt, destroyed and returned goods transactions
  • Prepare periodic excise returns, payment schedules and adjustment records
  • Investigate shortages, gains and irregular removals under escalation procedures

Participants can design risk-based controls for customs and excise compliance.

  • Build a customs risk register using likelihood, impact and control ratings
  • Apply the three-lines model to customs compliance accountability
  • Test declaration accuracy through sample selection, reperformance and exception analysis
  • Set document retention periods against statutory rules and audit needs
  • Conduct post-entry reviews for classification, value, origin and procedure errors
  • Prepare voluntary disclosure files with quantification, evidence and corrective actions
  • Report compliance indicators to tax, finance, procurement and leadership

Participants can prepare evidence-based responses to customs audits and assessments.

  • Plan customs audit responses using issue logs, owners and deadlines
  • Distinguish information requests, verification visits, assessments and investigations
  • Reconstruct declaration files from ERP records, broker data and shipping documents
  • Challenge assessments through administrative review, objection and appeal routes
  • Quantify duty, interest, penalties and import VAT exposure
  • Draft factual representations supported by law, evidence and calculation schedules
  • Agree remediation commitments without conceding unsupported legal positions

Participants can improve customs data quality, reconciliations and broker oversight.

  • Map customs data from product master through declaration and general ledger
  • Establish data fields for tariff code, origin, value and procedure
  • Reconcile customs duty accruals, broker invoices and import VAT accounts
  • Use exception reporting to detect missing documents and inconsistent declarations
  • Define broker scorecards for timeliness, accuracy, cost and query closure
  • Govern master-data changes through approval workflows and evidence retention
  • Assess automation controls before deploying classification or declaration solutions

Participants can prioritise customs and excise improvements and assign implementation actions.

  • Prioritise customs improvements using risk, value, effort and dependency criteria
  • Set a 90-day action plan with owners, milestones and measures
  • Align procurement terms with origin evidence, valuation data and import procedures
  • Review supply-chain changes for duty, excise and compliance consequences
  • Create management reporting for savings, exposures, disclosures and audit status
  • Establish governance forums linking tax, logistics, finance and legal
  • Document personal application commitments and stakeholder follow-up actions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Customs and excise transaction-mapping template
  2. Tariff classification and origin evidence checklist
  3. Customs valuation adjustment calculation model
  4. Bonded stock and excise records control checklist
  5. Customs compliance risk register template
  6. 90-day customs and excise action plan

Who should attend

  • Customs and Trade Compliance Managers — responsible for declaration accuracy, controls and authority engagement
  • Tax Managers — managing indirect tax, customs duty and excise exposure
  • Import and Export Managers — coordinating shipments, procedures and broker instructions
  • Supply Chain Managers — assessing duty consequences of sourcing, routing and inventory decisions
  • Finance Managers and Controllers — reconciling duty costs, import VAT and customs provisions
  • Procurement Managers — securing supplier evidence for origin, valuation and trade terms

Skills and tools covered

Tariff classificationCustoms valuationOrigin determinationExcise accountingTrade compliance controlsCustoms audit response

Tools and standards

WCO Harmonized System, WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, Incoterms 2020, WCO SAFE Framework of Standards

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to explain rules, methods and control requirements, followed by facilitated case work using import, manufacturing and distribution scenarios. Participants analyse classification evidence, origin documentation, valuation adjustments, customs entries, excise stock movements and audit correspondence. Group exercises test decisions against incomplete records and changing transaction facts. Simulations focus on post-entry review, audit response and disclosure planning. Each participant completes application planning using their own operational context, supported by instructor feedback and peer discussion.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have working experience in finance, tax, logistics, procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, import/export operations or customs administration. They should understand basic commercial documents such as purchase orders, invoices, packing lists and shipping records, and be comfortable working with transaction data. Familiarity with local customs declarations or excise returns is helpful but not essential. The course does not require legal training, customs broker licensing, prior knowledge of tariff classification, or advanced accounting qualifications. It is not designed as an introductory course for people with no exposure to cross-border goods movements.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should already have some exposure to finance, tax, logistics, procurement, manufacturing or import/export processes. No customs broker licence, legal qualification or advanced accounting credential is required.

Participants should bring a laptop if attending online and may bring non-confidential examples of their goods flows, customs procedures or control issues. Course materials are provided, and no specialist customs software is needed.

It suits customs, trade compliance, tax, finance, supply chain, procurement and import/export professionals who manage goods moving across borders. It is also relevant to managers overseeing excisable manufacturing, storage or distribution activities.

General indirect tax courses usually focus on VAT, GST and transaction tax principles. This course concentrates on border declarations, tariff classification, origin, customs valuation, special procedures, excise controls and customs authority interactions.

Participants can use the templates to review customs entries, assess origin evidence, reconcile duty accounts and identify control gaps. The final module converts findings into a 90-day action plan with owners and measures.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, providing about 6.5 contact hours daily. The five days cover ten teaching modules through briefings, cases, group work, simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

More courses in Taxation

Taxation Certificate Course in International Taxation and Transfer Pricing 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Taxation Certificate Course in Tax and Revenue Management 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Taxation Contemporary Issues in Taxation Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Taxation Corporate Tax Planning and Risk Management Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Taxation GCC VAT Compliance Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Taxation GCC VAT Implementation Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Taxation International Taxation Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Taxation Revenue Forecasting and Tax Gap Analysis Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov