Definition
An AEO, or authorised economic operator, is a company that customs recognises as reliable after auditing its solvency, its compliance record, its management systems and, where applicable, its security. In return it gets fewer controls and faster procedures.
The status is regulated in the Union Customs Code and the authorisation is valid in all Member States. There are two types, which can be combined: customs simplifications (AEOC) and security and safety (AEOS). The authorisation that brings the two together is known as AEOF. In Spain it is granted by the Spanish tax agency (Agencia Tributaria).
Exporters, importers, freight forwarders, customs representatives, carriers, terminals or warehouses can all hold it. The European Union has mutual recognition agreements with other countries, so authorised operator status is also taken into account by their customs authorities.
The figure · 2 October 2026
Active AEO authorisations in Spain
892 authorisations
Full (AEOF: customs + security)
553 authorisations
Customs simplifications only (AEOC)
309 authorisations
Security only (AEOS)
30 authorisations
Authorised Economic Operators in Spain in 2026
Spain has 892 active AEO authorisations on 2 October 2026, according to the European Commission register, which places it 6th in the European Union. 553 are full authorisations (AEOF, customs simplifications and security), 309 customs only and 30 security only.
The full ranking, the trend and the table are in the indicator Authorised Economic Operators in Spain. To explore the data in detail, see Radar OEA (Spanish).