WAREHOUSING
Where does a non-EU brand hold stock inside the EU?
EFC holds bulk inventory for non-EU brands inside the EU customs union, ready for domestic dispatch on order. Stock enters the single market once as a bulk import, not parcel by parcel, into a bonded customs warehouse. From that point, goods sit under bond, and each order is released for free circulation and ships to customers as domestic freight. Warehousing is one of the coupled operations, not a standalone rental.
THE STANDARD
Goods released for free circulation move as domestic commerce
Bulk stock enters under bond once on intake into a bonded customs warehouse, not order by order, and stays under EFC operation, duty and import VAT deferred. When an order comes in, the goods are released for free circulation, acquiring the customs status of Union goods, so the order moves as domestic commerce and never re-imports.
In Portugal, inside the EU
Five locations in Portugal, run as one operation.
The stock lives across five sites, each with its own square metres and role, and here is where it sits.
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Vila do Conde (Touguinho)
Norte, near Porto
16,000 m2 indoor, 13,000 m2 outdoor. Import and export areas, a Customs Tax Warehouse, and a DRAP/DGAV free area for goods that need veterinary or agricultural inspection.
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Porto (Leixoes)
Norte, the Leixoes platform
3,000 m2 indoor, 3,000 m2 outdoor. Import and export areas and a DRAP/DGAV free area, on the Leixoes port for goods arriving by sea.
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Arrifana
Norte, added capacity from March 2026
4,500 m2, added capacity from March 2026.
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Alverca
Lisbon area
4,800 m2 indoor, 9,000 m2 outdoor. Import and export areas and a DRAP/DGAV free area, with the outdoor yard for large and non-standard goods.
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Amadora
Lisbon district, the registered base
The registered EFC base.
- 5
- locations in Portugal, one operation
- 28,000 m2
- indoor space, summed across the sites
- 25,000 m2
- outdoor and yard areas alongside them
- 12,000
- pallets of installed capacity
- 21 years
- of logistics experience
What these sites do
- A Logistics Warehouse and a Customs Tax Warehouse at each site, both with pallet racking.
- Temperature-controlled and validated storage, where the product requires it.
- A DRAP/DGAV free area at every site, for goods that need veterinary or agricultural inspection.
- Outdoor yards for large and non-standard goods, with lashing and an issued certificate.
- Project-cargo handling and consolidation, with specialist staff for every type of cargo.
WHAT CHANGES
What changes for the brand
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Stock enters the EU once, as one bulk import, not as repeated cross-border parcels.
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Inventory sits under bond, released for free circulation the moment an order lands.
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Warehousing connects directly to fulfillment, compliance, and returns under one operator.
BONDED STORAGE
Stock can rest under bond, with the border tax deferred.
Bring a shipment in the usual way and you pay duty and import VAT on the whole load the day it lands, with the cash frozen in stock that has not sold. Inside warehousing, stock can rest in a bonded customs warehouse instead, so duty and import VAT are deferred until each order ships. That bonded warehouse is run with our logistics partner, Warelog; to you it is one base, one account. The bonded customs warehouse is the deeper story.
- Bonded customs warehouse Stock can be held in a bonded customs warehouse, so duty and import VAT are deferred until each order ships.
- Duty and import VAT deferred Duty and import VAT are deferred until the goods are sold, so unsold inventory carries no border tax.
- Fiscal and excise warehouse A fiscal or excise warehouse holds goods under a suspended-tax regime, so duty and excise are not charged while the stock sits there, only when it is released.
- Temporary deposit Temporary deposit holds goods under customs supervision in the window after they arrive and before they are placed under a customs procedure.
- Authorised consignee Authorised consignee status lets incoming goods be cleared at the warehouse itself, not only at the border, so a transit movement ends on site instead of in a queue at a customs office.
Related operations
What buyers ask
What brands ask about holding stock inside the EU customs union.
EFC holds a non-EU brand's bulk inventory inside the EU customs union, so stock enters the single market once and then ships to customers as domestic freight.
How does imported stock enter the EU under EFC warehousing?
Stock enters the single market once, as a single bulk import cleared on intake, not parcel by parcel and not order by order. From that point the inventory sits inside the customs union ready to ship, so the cost and friction of clearing goods is paid once for the whole load instead of repeatedly at the border.
Can stock be held under bond with the import duty deferred?
Yes. Stock can rest in a bonded customs warehouse, where duty and import VAT are deferred until each order ships rather than paid on the whole load the day it lands. That keeps cash out of unsold inventory, and the bonded warehouse is run with the logistics partner, Warelog, so to the brand it is one base and one account. The full mechanism is on the bonded-warehouse page.
What customs status does stored inventory hold?
Inventory is held under bond, duty and import VAT deferred, and each order is released for free circulation as it ships, acquiring the customs status of Union goods (Union Customs Code, Regulation (EU) No 952/2013) and moving within the customs union as domestic commerce. That status is what lets every later order ship domestically instead of re-importing.
How much capacity and what kind of storage sits behind the operation?
The operation draws on EU warehouse sites with pallet racking and roughly 12,000 installed pallet positions across indoor and outdoor areas, run with the logistics partner, Warelog. Bulk pallets, oversized loads, and non-standard goods are all handled at the same sites, so a brand is not limited to a single shelf format.
Can sensitive goods be stored under controlled or restricted conditions?
Yes, where a product requires it. Goods are stored to the conditions the product needs, and the operation includes an ANPC-licensed facility for dangerous goods (ADR/IMO) handling, so regulated, hazardous, or condition-sensitive stock can be held alongside ordinary inventory rather than routed elsewhere.
How does the brand see and track its stock?
Stock is managed on an IT method (order point, economic order quantity, and safety stock) and stays visible to the brand line by line, in and out, in real time, through the LOGCOM platform. The brand can consult incoming and outgoing movements and live stock without holding the warehouse system itself.
Does each order trigger a new import?
No. Each order ships from stock that is already domestic, so an order never re-imports and never faces a fresh customs event. The import happened once, on intake; everything after it is intra-EU movement.
Is this a warehouse a brand rents and staffs itself?
No. Warehousing is run as one of the coupled operations under one operator, not a unit of space a brand leases and runs. It connects directly to fulfillment, compliance, and returns, so the brand gets a managed European stock position rather than an empty building to fill.
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