The Authorised Economic Operators Directory

A global visibility and trust infrastructure for secure international trade.

Overview

The Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) Directory is a structured global resource providing visibility of certified, trusted participants in international supply chains.

The Directory includes:

• 22,000+ Authorised Economic Operators
• 113 country and territory profiles

It is designed to improve:

• Transparency
• Discoverability
• Trust in cross-border trade relationships

Why This Matters

Authorised Economic Operators (AEOs) are recognised by customs authorities as trusted, compliant, and secure operators.

However:

• Awareness of AEO certification remains limited
• AEO data is fragmented across national sources
• There is no widely accessible global reference point

The AEO Directory addresses this gap by providing a centralised, structured, and searchable global dataset.

What the Directory Provides

1. Global AEO Coverage

• Country profiles for 113 AEO programmes
• Full listings for countries that publish AEO data

1. Enriched Company Data

Where available, AEO listings are enhanced with:

• Official registered company name and alternatives
• Company registration number
• Industry classification (SIC, ISIC, NACE)
• Activity descriptions
• Postal address and contact details
• VAT number
• Website information

(Data enrichment is supported through integration with sources such as Kompass and official company registries.)

1. Search and Discovery

• Structured browsing by country and sector
• Searchable company-level data
• Designed to support partner identification and due diligence

AEOs in Context

The United Nations (via the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards) defines an Authorised Economic Operator as:

A party involved in the international movement of goods that has been approved by a national Customs administration as complying with supply chain security standards.

AEOs may include:

• Manufacturers
• Exporters and importers
• Freight forwarders and carriers
• Ports, terminals, and logistics providers
• Warehouses and distributors

Operational Benefits of AEO Status

Because AEOs are recognised as trusted operators:

• Customs authorities perform fewer inspections
• Clearance processes are faster and more predictable
• Supply chain risk is reduced

This results in:

• Lower transport delays
• Reduced administrative burden
• More reliable international operations

Integration and Development

TradeTech is working with partners such as Kompass to:

• Integrate AEO certification into global company datasets
• Enable AEO status as a searchable filter within wider business discovery tools

This strengthens the role of the Directory as part of a broader trade visibility and intelligence infrastructure.

Role Within the TradeTech Ecosystem

The AEO Directory contributes to the wider TradeTech framework by:

• Supporting trusted partner identification
• Enhancing supply chain transparency
• Complementing:
  • Multilingual Microsites (visibility)
  • ExportersAlmanac (knowledge)
  • ExpoWorld (engagement)

Together, these services form a coordinated trade enablement infrastructure.

Coverage

The Directory includes:

• Profiles for all 113 countries and territories with AEO programmes (active or planned)
• Detailed listings for the 37 countries that publish AEO operator data

Contact

For further information, please contact: aeodirectory@tradetech.cloud