The WCO Data Model at 30: WCO celebrates three decades of data interoperability and unveils Version 4.3.0

• Over 420 participants worldwide joined the public webinar marking the 30^th anniversary of the WCO Data Model and the publication of its latest version approved by the WCO Council in June.
• Version 4.3.0 introduces packages for advance information on maritime passengers and crew and for the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes, together with JSON tags for web-based implementations and support for a wider range of digital document types.
• Speakers from Customs administrations, an international organization and a global company shared their experience of developing and implementing the Data Model, highlighted its impact on processes and operations and outlined future work on machine-readable formats, linked data and verifiable credentials.

On 8 July 2026, the WCO held a public webinar entitled "The WCO Data Model at 30: Version 4.3.0 and the Future of Data Interoperability". It traced the origins and evolution of the Data Model, presented Version 4.3.0 of the Model and its maintenance procedure, and explored the future of the Model as the foundation of trusted data exchange.

Opening the webinar, the WCO Deputy Secretary General, Ricardo Treviño, recalled that the idea put forward by the G7 to develop what would become the WCO Data Model was both ambitious and practical: a common language for Customs information at a time when fragmented data requirements placed a burden on governments and businesses alike. Since then, the WCO Data Model has evolved into a widely recognized standard for Customs and cross-border regulatory data. Today, it supports countless digitalization and data-sharing initiatives around the world, including Single Window environments and other data exchange platforms. "Today, interoperability is no longer merely a technical objective; it is a strategic need", he said, adding that "The WCO Data Model provides a foundation upon which interoperable ecosystems can be built."

A common language for data exchange

Ieuan Smiton, from the United Kingdom's His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, traced the origins of the Data Model to a 1996 G7 initiative to standardize Customs procedures and electronic data exchange. Formally adopted by the WCO in 2002 as Version 1.0 of the Customs Data Model, the tool is maintained by experts from both the public and private sectors within the Data Model Projects Team (DMPT). Together, they have developed the Model through a series of milestones, including the addition of safety and security data elements (Version 1.1), the inclusion of transit and conveyance reporting (Version 2, 2006), its expansion to cover all cross-border regulatory agencies - leading to the removal of "Customs" from its name (Version 3, 2009) - and a renewed focus on quality and simplification, together with the launch of the WCO Data Model App (Version 4, 2023).

Ieuan, who serves as the Data Modeller within the DMPT, further explained that the WCO Data Model is a language for exchanging trade data: a shared dictionary of harmonized definitions combined with standardized, reusable message structures that are technology-neutral and can be implemented in UN/EDIFACT, XML, JSON or any other syntax. "As with any language, users determine which harmonized fields within the Data Model they require and use the standardized structures to develop their own template for exchanging data. When two or more parties communicate using the WCO Data Model, ambiguity is removed, ensuring clarity and understanding for everyone involved", he said.

A new version supporting data exchange related to maritime passengers and AEOs

Niclas Gustafsson, International Coordinator in the IT Department of Swedish Customs and Chairperson of the DMPT, presented the governance of the standard. The DMPT meets three or four times a year in Brussels, and all changes are driven by Members' needs. He extended an open invitation to WCO Members to join the team, underlining that the DMPT thrives on a mix of profiles, not only technical ones. Data modellers, architects and IT specialists work side by side with individuals who understand the business: experts in Customs procedures and declaration processing, policy and legal officers, and practitioners involved in Single Window, passenger and risk management projects. Since every change to the Data Model begins with a business need, the ability to explain what information is required, and why, is just as valuable as the ability to model it. Previous data-modelling experience is not a prerequisite for contributing.

Sybrand Bootsma, WCO Data Model Architect from Netherlands Customs, presented the Data Maintenance Request (DMR) procedure, from submission through the WCO Data Model App to review, modelling, quality assurance and publication. He highlighted that Version 4.3.0 is a medium release in the annual maintenance cycle, introducing new capabilities while remaining fully compatible with the Version 4 series, enabling administrations that have already implemented the standard to adopt it without disruption.

Incorporating DMRs submitted by the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States, the new release includes two new information packages, which are subsets of the WCO Data Model designed for specific business contexts:

• A new Maritime Advance Passenger Information (API) package, which supports the collection of electronic data relating to passengers and crew arriving by sea. Aligned with the IMO Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business and the International Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, this package closes a long-standing gap, as such data had previously been harmonized only for air travel.
• A new Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Mutual Recognition Agreement package, which lays the first building blocks for structured information exchange between Customs administrations that recognize one another's AEO programmes. It is published as a work-in-progress package and remains open to further contributions from Members.

The new release also:

• makes the standard easier to use in modern, web-based systems: every class and data element now carries a JSON tag, giving developers ready-made building blocks for creating WCO-compliant JSON messages; and
• supports the exchange of virtually any type of digital supporting document, from invoices and certificates to images, reflecting the ongoing transition away from paper-based processes.

The new version is available through the WCO Data Model App, which is available free of charge and enables users to browse all classes and data elements across versions, explore information packages, download the Data Model, map national datasets using the built-in mapping tool, submit DMRs and consult implementation guidance.

Feedback from users

The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) described how the WCO Data Model underpins its Customs clearance systems and Single Window, enabling seamless data exchange both nationally and with the Customs administrations of neighbouring Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. This has improved data integrity while reducing costs, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. "The future of trade is digital, and Zambia is ready", concluded ZRA Deputy Commissioner, Chikumbi L. Chama.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) reported that its new Universal Customs Management System contains 612 harmonized data sets across 27 information packages, 94% of which are mapped directly to WCO Data Model classes. This alignment has delivered a remarkable 43% reduction in duplicated data fields. "Aligning with the Model means that every part of our system is interoperable by design rather than by retrofit. It has reduced reworking, accelerated integration and improved efficiency despite resource constraints", stressed NCS Assistant Superintendent of Customs, Abdulmuiz Adesina Olawuwo.

Julian Abril Garcia, Head of the Facilitation Section at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), highlighted the long-standing WCO-IMO cooperation on the IMO Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business, which defines the data that ships must submit to government authorities. "By aligning the IMO Compendium with the WCO Data Model, we enable information submitted by ships to be reused by Customs and other authorities, reducing duplication and supporting interoperability across government systems", he said. He also emphasized the Compendium's role in supporting the implementation by IMO Members of maritime Single Windows for the electronic exchange of information in all ports.

Rebecca Jonassen of the New Zealand Customs Service explained that New Zealand has been using the WCO Data Model since 2013 and that, although it is primarily used for trade data, it is not limited to that application. The Data Model also supports the exchange of passenger data, and New Zealand Customs has been heavily involved in work with the IMO to design and develop the data sets and data model for advance information on maritime travellers (the Maritime API and Booking/Reservation Information packages), as well as implementation guides. "To support this work, New Zealand has been involved in pilot activities to generate practical, real-world evidence to inform and support the development of these frameworks for maritime passenger data exchange", she said.

Offering a private sector perspective, Dale Chrystie, Business Fellow and Strategist at FedEx, highlighted the importance of interoperability, explaining that "It's not simply about connecting systems. It's about creating a shared foundation upon which businesses, governments and institutions can act with confidence." He added: "Around the world, governments and businesses are recognizing that the future of trade will be shaped not by how efficiently we move documents, but by how effectively we share trusted information."

Looking ahead: building the foundation for a future where trusted data flows across borders

Filip Hansen, DMPT Capability Owner for Linked Data at Norwegian Customs, explained that the untapped potential of the Data Model lies in its semantics. The standard contains agreed definitions of thousands of concepts - what a "consignee" is, what an "exporter" is and how they relate to a declaration - but much of that meaning remains embedded in documents and spreadsheets that must be read and interpreted by human experts, a process that every implementer currently has to repeat.

The DMPT is therefore working to make these semantic elements explicit, governed and published as a web ontology in a linked data-friendly open format that both machines and people can use. Put simply, this means turning a printed dictionary into an online one in which every entry has a permanent web address that any system can reference and reuse instantly. In machine-readable form, software can automatically validate messages against the official definitions, while updates can flow into national systems without manual reworking, lowering the barrier to adoption.

Stable identifiers also allow the Data Model to underpin emerging digital instruments such as verifiable credentials - tamper-proof digital attestations that can be verified instantly for authenticity, but which are useful only if the issuer and the verifier share a common understanding of what the attested information means. The WCO Data Model itself is technology-agnostic: rather than prescribing verifiable credentials or any other technology, it defines the meaning and structure of data independently of the way it is exchanged. Precisely because of this neutrality, it can provide the shared vocabulary underpinning such credentials, enabling a digital certificate of origin issued in one country to be automatically understood and verified in another, regardless of the technology used to carry it. The same logic makes the WCO Data Model relevant to digital product passports and digital trade ecosystems, all of which face the same question: how can everyone ensure that they attach the same meaning to the same data?

Filip Hansen stressed that this work is still in the design phase and will proceed gradually, remain Member-driven and be carried out in cooperation with other standards bodies, without compromising existing implementations.

Closing the webinar, Adrian Swarres, WCO Deputy Director, Enforcement, Facilitation & Technology, noted that, after three decades of evolution, the WCO Data Model remains a cornerstone of Customs digitalization and data interoperability. He encouraged Members and partners to continue engaging actively in the work of the DMPT. The next DMPT meeting will be held in September 2026, and Members are invited to submit DMRs via the WCO Data Model App.