Quick release procedure

A quick-release or immediate-release procedure is a customs facilitation under which low-risk consignments are cleared and released with minimal formality, often before or immediately on arrival, based on pre-arrival data and risk assessment. The WCO Guidelines for the Immediate Release of Consignments set out the framework, categorizing goods so that correspondence and low-value shipments move with simplified or no full declaration, and goods needing only a simplified entry clear quickly. The approach concentrates control on high-risk cargo while expediting compliant trade, and it underpins the release-of-goods commitments in the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. Authorized economic operators and trusted traders typically receive the fastest release.