GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement)
When an export shipment arrives at its destination, customs and market surveillance authorities verify whether the product meets local technical requirements.
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Source: https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tbt_e/tbt_e.htm
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Definition & Explanation
When an export shipment arrives at its destination, customs and market surveillance authorities verify whether the product meets local technical requirements. The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) obliges WTO members to notify their technical regulations – covering safety standards, labelling rules, electromagnetic compatibility, energy efficiency, and more – and to apply them transparently and without discrimination. Countries retain the right to set their own standards, but may not use those standards as a backdoor to block imports. For freight forwarders and exporters, the TBT Agreement is most consequential for machinery, electrical equipment, and consumer goods: test certificates issued in the exporting country are frequently not accepted at destination, because mutual recognition agreements remain the exception rather than the rule. The result is costly retesting, delayed market clearance, and unplanned expenditure. All product-related technical regulations fall under the TBT Agreement except sanitary and phytosanitary measures, which are governed by the separate SPS Agreement.
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