How to Obtain and Complete NATO Form 302: Fields, Copies, and Border

To complete a NATO Form 302, draw a pre-authenticated blank through your national military logistics channel, fill in the shipment identifiers and a goods description precise enough for customs to verify, sign as the officer your service has designated for that purpose, and route the correct copies with the cargo so customs can stamp them at departure, any transit points, and destination. The form implements Article XI of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement and lets official military goods cross allied borders duty-free and outside commercial customs queues.¹²

Who Can Use the Form

Armed forces of all NATO member states can use Form 302 for official military shipments between NATO countries. Forces from Partnership for Peace nations also have access; Switzerland and Ukraine are explicitly authorized, with Ukraine’s access effective 1 October 2022.²

Article XI covers equipment the force needs plus reasonable quantities of provisions, supplies, and other goods for its exclusive use, and where the receiving state permits, the force’s civilian component and dependents.¹ Civilian contractors and logistics providers working under a military command may handle shipments moved on the form. The duty-free exemption does not apply to personal belongings of individual service members, which remain subject to standard national customs rules.

Getting a Pre-Authenticated Blank

Units obtain blank forms through their national military logistics channels. A Country Customs Treaty Officer, commonly called the CCTO, pre-authenticates blanks by stamping, marking, and signing them before they are issued so that customs authorities can verify legitimacy on sight.² For U.S. forces in Europe, commanders appoint customs clearance officers in writing and issue each one a numbered customs stamp used to authenticate the forms.³

A pre-authenticated blank is not indefinitely usable. In the UK, HM Revenue and Customs monitors forms after pre-authentication and may require them to be voided once sixty days have passed.³ Under EU rules, each Form 302 is valid for twelve months from the date integrated into its serial number, and the movement and customs process should finish within that window.⁴ Keep an adequate supply of current, pre-authenticated blanks on hand; running out mid-operation is a self-inflicted delay.

Filling In the Fields

The NATO and EU versions of the form share a nearly identical template. The fields on the front are:

Serial number, which is pre-printed on the form and tied to its validity period.
Mission, exercise, or transport name or reference code.
Mode of transport: sea, air, or land.
Temporary admission indicator, marked yes if the goods will be re-exported rather than staying permanently.
Transporter name and full address.
Consignor, meaning the dispatching military unit or base.
Consignee, meaning the receiving military unit or base.
Final destination.
Whether the containers or vehicles are sealed.
Seal numbers, listing every seal if sealed.
Remarks, which is where the shipping-document detail belongs.⁴

The Remarks description is what customs officers actually use to identify the load, so it needs to be specific. At a minimum, include the number and description of packages, marks and numbers, a description of the goods themselves, and gross and net weight.⁴ Vague entries invite physical inspection.

Signing and Authorization

At the bottom of the front page, the authorized officer signs and dates the form and provides full name, rank, unit, and address. That signature is the legal attestation that the shipment qualifies for duty-free transit under the SOFA. Article XI requires the sending state to designate who may sign and to send specimen signatures and stamps to the receiving state’s customs administration in advance.¹ A form signed by someone whose specimen is not on file with the destination customs authority is a form waiting to be rejected.

The overleaf includes a separate space for the person physically presenting the goods to customs to sign, along with fields recording when and where the goods were presented.

Which Copies Go Where

Multiple copies travel with the goods and peel off at different points along the route. Regardless of version, Copy 1 always travels with the goods to the destination; it does not stay at the dispatch office.²

Five-Copy EU Standard

The EU guidance calls for a minimum of five copies:⁴

Copy 1 travels with the goods and stays with the consignee after customs stamps it.
Copy 2 is returned by the recipient to the dispatching unit as acknowledgment of receipt.
Copy 3 is retained by customs at the point of origin.
Copy 4 is retained by customs at destination. If the shipment transits additional countries, extra copies numbered 4a, 4b, and so on are drawn for each transit country’s customs office.
Copy 5 is retained by the issuing organization, typically the CCTO.

Six-Copy Version for U.S. Forces in the UK

U.S. forces based in the UK use a six-part, color-coded version:²

Copy 1 (white) travels with the goods and stays with the consignee at destination.
Copy 2 (green) travels with the goods, gets stamped by customs at destination, and returns to the CCTO to confirm the transit was completed.
Copy 3 (pink) travels with the goods and is retained by customs at the destination.
Copy 4 (blue) stays with the consignor at the departing base.
Copy 5 (yellow) is sent to the CCTO when the movement begins.
Copy 6 (red) is an optional copy available for additional control purposes.

British and other EU forces in the UK use a four-part version that follows a similar flow without the extra copies.²

Presenting the Form at the Border

When the shipment reaches a border or port of entry, the carrier presents the prepared form and its copies to local customs. Officers stamp the overleaf of the relevant copies to record that the goods have been presented and cleared, and may physically inspect the cargo to verify that contents match what the form and shipping documents describe. They also verify identification of all personnel and registration of transport vehicles, and check container seal numbers listed on the form against the physical seals. A broken or missing seal typically triggers a full inspection.

Within the EU, Form 302 substitutes for the standard Union Transit (T1) procedure that commercial shipments follow, so military shipments move through a parallel track rather than the commercial transit system.⁵

Closing the Loop at Destination

Once the shipment reaches its final base, the receiving unit completes the acquittal. An authorized representative signs and stamps the certificate of receipt on the front page, recording name, rank, unit address, and date of receipt.⁴

The goods and remaining copies are then presented to the designated customs authority where the receiving force is stationed. Customs may inspect again. If everything checks out, customs stamps the overleaf of the remaining copies, retains Copy 4, and returns Copy 5 to the customs office indicated on the form. The receiving unit keeps Copy 1 and sends Copy 2 back to the dispatching unit as proof of delivery.⁴ The return of Copy 2 is what closes the loop, proving to the originating customs office that the goods reached a military installation and were not diverted into the commercial market.

Failing to complete acquittal properly can lead the originating customs authority to treat the shipment as unaccounted for, which may trigger retroactive duty assessments or administrative complications for the sending unit. Specific formalities at destination are usually spelled out in a memorandum of understanding between the military force and the local customs authority.

Records and Audits

Every party that retained a copy — the dispatching unit, the receiving unit, the CCTO, and the customs offices at origin, transit points, and destination — should archive it. These records are subject to audit by national governments and NATO oversight bodies. Inaccurate or missing records can produce administrative sanctions or the loss of future transit privileges for a unit, so the completed copies matter well after the truck has been unloaded.

EU Form 302 and What Is Changing

In 2020, the European Commission introduced a dedicated EU Form 302 through amendments to the Union Customs Code, creating a harmonized version that sits alongside the NATO form and covers EU armed forces, particularly for temporary exports and re-imports of military goods.⁶ Under the Union Customs Code, exchanges of customs-related information must now be performed using electronic data-processing techniques, and the European Defence Agency has been pursuing a single customs form and shared process between the EU and NATO.⁷

The EU’s Military Mobility Package, adopted in November 2025, proposes making Form 302 the default option for military movements while still allowing regular customs procedures when military authorities prefer them. It also envisions a Military Mobility Digital Information System interoperable with NATO systems, with a maximum three-day processing time for cross-border movement permissions and special rules for emergencies.⁸ Until those systems are in place, the paper form and the copy-distribution rules above remain how a shipment actually moves.

1
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Agreement Between the Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty Regarding the Status of Their Forces
2
GOV.UK. Transit Manual Supplement – 10. NATO Form 302
3
U.S. Air Forces in Europe. USAFEI 24-401 – Customs Clearance Procedures
4
European Commission. Guidance Document on Customs Formalities in the EU for Military Goods
5
European Commission. Customs Transit
6
European Commission. New Rules in Union Customs Code Package to Impact Import Control System 2, E-Commerce and Military Mobility
7
European Defence Agency. Customs – Harmonising Military Requirement Related to Customs
8
European Commission. Military Mobility