Frequently asked questions

All WTO Members must complete their domestic ratification process. The Agreement will enter into force for those Members that have not yet presented the instrument of ratification on the same date they provide their instrument of ratification. 

For a complete overview of the different notification timelines and obligations, click here

For information on how to present the instrument of acceptance, click here

Yes, as indicated in Article 23 of the TFA, each WTO Member is required to establish and/or maintain a National Committee on Trade Facilitation.  The TFA does not provide guidance on how such committees should be established. 

Many Members have already established, or are about to establish, national committees.  Other Members have, however,  faced a number of challenges in trying to determine how best to do so.   The WTO publication National Committees on Trade Facilitation: current practices and challenges seeks to provide support to these Members by summarizing the results of a WTO experience-sharing workshop that took place in June 2016 as well as the results of an electronic survey undertaken by the WTO which collected information on the practices and challenges faced by more than 100 WTO Members. 

Yes, notification and ratification are two distinct and independent processes. 

Members sometimes present notifications before having completed their ratification process in order to make sure they have best reflected their needs for technical assistance and capacity building. 

The WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility website contains information on donor Members, international and regional organizations that provide assistance and support for capacity building. 

 The Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF or the Facility) was created at the request of developing and least-developed country (LDC) Members to help ensure that they receive the assistance they need to reap the full benefits of the Agreement, and to support the ultimate goal of full implementation of the Agreement by all Members.

This page responds to frequently asked questions about acceptance procedures and provides a model instrument of acceptance that Members may wish to follow in preparing their instruments of acceptance.

At the WTO level, there is a Committee on Trade Facilitation which held its inaugural meeting on 16 May 2017 where  Members elected Ambassador Daniel Blockert (Sweden) as chair. 

 At the national level, each WTO Member is required to establish and/or maintain a National Committee on Trade Facilitation.  The TFA does not provide guidance on how such committees should be established. 

Many Members have already established, or are about to establish, national committees.  Other Members have, however,  faced a number of challenges in trying to determine how best to do so.   The WTO publication National Committees on Trade Facilitation: current practices and challenges seeks to provide support to these Members by summarizing the results of a WTO experience-sharing workshop that took place in June 2016 as well as the results of an electronic survey undertaken by the WTO which collected information on the practices and challenges faced by more than 100 WTO Members. 

 For more information, read Article 23 of the TFA.

The TFA contains some 36 measures that governments must implement that will provide transparency of laws, rules and procedures; fairness in border agency decisions; streamlined clearance procedures; and help reduce administrative constraints on import, export and transit.

They not only benefit trade through reduced administrative burdens, costs, and delays related to border procedures, but can also lead to more effective, efficient and modern government practices.

Implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) could reduce worldwide trade costs by anywhere from 12.5% to 17.5%, according to an OECD analysis, with the greatest benefits accruing in developing countries.