The TRACES system is the European Commission’s online platform for managing sanitary and phytosanitary certification and border control procedures for consignments entering or moving within the EU, making it central to food and agricultural import compliance.
In trade practice
Importers or their customs agents use TRACES NT to pre-notify arriving consignments by submitting a Common Health Entry Document before the shipment reaches the border inspection post. Official veterinarians and plant health inspectors record documentary, identity and physical check outcomes in the system and issue release or rejection decisions there. Failure to pre-notify within the required window is a common cause of consignment holds at EU borders. The platform also links to RASFF, so a rejection can trigger a rapid alert visible to other member states.
In a specification
Purchase contracts for regulated commodities often require the supplier to confirm TRACES NT pre-notification reference numbers as a condition of handover at the border inspection post.