Article 13Integrity and control of the licence, mutual assistance

1.

Entries made on licences or extracts may not be altered after their issue.

2.

Where a competent customs authority has a doubt on the accuracy of entries on the licence or extract, it shall return the licence or extract to the licence issuing authority. Where a licence issuing authority has a doubt on the accuracy of entries on the licence or extract, it shall return the licence or extract to the competent customs authority.

The first subparagraph shall not apply where it concerns minor or evident errors which the licence issuing authority or competent customs authority can remedy by applying the legislation correctly.

3.

If the licence issuing authority considers a correction necessary, it shall withdraw the licence or extract and shall issue a duly corrected licence or extract without delay.

4.

For electronic licences or extracts, the licence issuing authority shall validate the corrected version, which shall replace the original version. On paper licences or extracts, the licence issuing authority shall include the entry ‘licence corrected on …’ or ‘extract corrected on …’ Any former entries shall be reproduced on each copy.

5.

Where the licence issuing authority does not consider a correction necessary, it shall confirm this in the IT applications. For paper licences and extracts, the licence issuing authority shall mark its confirmation of correctness on the licence or extract by its endorsement ‘verified on date ….’ and put its stamp, initials and date, or apply a similar method.

6.

At the request of the licence issuing authority, the titular holder or transferee shall return the licence or extract.

Where on the basis of risk management there is a need to verify, or a doubt concerning the authenticity of a paper licence or extract, or entries or endorsements thereon, the authority concerned shall return the licence or extract, or a photocopy thereof, to the competent authorities responsible for checking.

The request for verification and the reply of the result shall be communicated by electronic means in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 515/9720 using the standard form as set out in the notice on import and export licences for agricultural products. Authorities may agree on further simplification including direct consultations using the customs office list (COL) published on the Commission's official web-site.21

The requested authority shall ensure that a reply to the requesting authority is sent within 20 calendar days when the authorities are established in the same Member State. Where different Member States are involved, the reply shall be sent within 60 calendar days.

7.

Where a licence or extract is returned, the competent authority shall on request give a receipt to the party concerned, or note and stamp a date of receipt on a photo-copy produced by the party concerned.