How do authorised declarants and operators outside the European Union (EU) get access to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Registry?
Once the national authority authorises a declarant, the Commission gives it a CBAM account number, which opens Registry access through the EU-wide user access service, by the CBAM Domain (Option 1) or Customs Domain (Option 2). Third-country operators use the Commission's EU-Access platform, and the Commission validates each request.
Declarants
- Applications for authorised declarant status are submitted electronically via the CBAM Registry and assessed by the national authority of the Member State of establishment (Questions and Answers (Q&A) 2.1).
- Once authorised, each declarant is assigned a CBAM account number by the Commission, which allows access to the Registry (Q&A 2.6).
- Access is managed through the EU-wide user access service. Declarants use Option 1, the CBAM Domain, or Option 2, the Customs Domain, depending on the choice made by the national authorities.
- New user profiles are required for the definitive Registry. National authorities need to assign them to existing declarants.
Operators outside the EU
The Q&A says third-country operators are also able to access the CBAM Registry. They use the Commission's EU-Access platform. The Commission validates access requests from third-country operators and grants access where appropriate. If access has to be revoked, the Commission consults Member States.
Why an Indian operator might bother
The Commission's quick guide for non-EU operators says registering is recommended but currently voluntary. Registered operators upload installation data once and share it, after verification, with every declarant who imports their goods. Our page on registering as a CBAM operator covers the steps.
Check first
- Which route will your buyer's national authority use for declarants, the CBAM Domain or the Customs Domain?
- Has the buyer received its new user profile for the definitive Registry?
- Does it hold a CBAM account number yet, or is its application pending?
What Senseible does here
Senseible does not file customs or CBAM declarations and does not decide origin or who the declarant is. It reads an Indian plant's fuel invoices and electricity bills into dated, fingerprinted installation records, the plant-side data an EU buyer asks for.
- How a non-EU producer registers
- Registry against email: is supplier data confidential?
- Check your EU buyer is an authorised declarant
- Authorised declarant
Sources: European Commission, CBAM Questions and Answers, last updated 15 October 2026, questions 2.1 and 2.6, European Commission, CBAM Guidance No. 2, quick guide for non-EU operators
Last reviewed 2026-11-05. Access routes change with national choices and with Commission releases. Re-read Q&A 2.6 and the Commission's registry pages before relying on them.