A Known Consignor, in the EU aviation-security framework, is a business that originates its own cargo or mail at an approved site and applies security procedures strong enough for that cargo to travel on any passenger or cargo aircraft. The status attaches to a specific site, is granted through an application and on-site validation, and carries continuing security duties. The rules described here are the EU framework; aviation-security regimes outside the EU can differ, so the applicable national authority should be identified before any procedural step is taken.
Three roles that are easy to confuse
EU terminology separates three roles in the secure supply chain. The difference that matters most to a shipper is the aircraft scope its procedures allow.
| Role | Who it is | Aircraft its cargo may travel on |
|---|---|---|
| Known consignor | Originates cargo or mail for its own account, with procedures that meet the common EU security rules | Any aircraft |
| Account consignor | Originates cargo or mail for its own account, with procedures that support carriage on a narrower set of flights | All-cargo or all-mail aircraft only |
| Regulated agent | An agent, freight forwarder or other entity that handles cargo and applies security controls | Not stated in the definition |
In practice, a manufacturer that ships its own goods is a candidate for known consignor status, while a forwarder that consolidates other companies’ shipments is a regulated agent. An account consignor sits between the two in scope.
What the status covers, and what it does not
Known Consignor status describes controlled origin and handling inside a secure supply chain. It is not a product certification and it is not a customs status. It also does not mean that every consignment bypasses screening. If the required security controls were not applied to a particular consignment, the consignor must tell its regulated agent, and that consignment is screened under the applicable rule. The known consignor must accept that screening.
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Getting EU approval for a site
Approval is not self-declared. It runs as an application and validation process, in these steps:
- Identify the Member State where the premises are located. The application goes to the appropriate authority in that Member State.
- Prepare a security programme that describes the methods and procedures the site will use to meet EU aviation-security requirements, and how the site will monitor its own compliance.
- Complete the official known-consignor validation checklist and a declaration of commitments, signed by the applicant’s legal representative or by the person responsible for security at the site.
- The authority, or an EU aviation-security validator acting on its behalf, examines the programme and verifies the specified site on location.
- Once approved, keep the site compliant with the operating duties described below.
Approval is site-specific. A company with several premises should not assume that one site’s approval covers the others; each location needs to be assessed in its own right. Processing times are set by each national authority, and the sources behind this article do not give a typical duration.
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What an approved site must keep doing
Site security
- Maintain site security sufficient to protect identifiable air cargo and mail from unauthorised interference.
- During production, packing, storage, dispatch and transport, protect identifiable cargo and mail from unauthorised interference or tampering.
Staff recruitment and training
- Staff who implement security controls, and staff with unsupervised access to identifiable cargo or mail after controls have been applied, must meet the applicable recruitment and security-training requirements.
- Drivers with no access or only supervised access to such cargo must receive at least security-awareness training.
Package integrity and seals
The validation checklist asks whether seals, security tape or special stamps are kept secured when not in use, and whether their issue is controlled. Tamper-evident security seals are therefore one practical example of how a site can show package integrity. They are an operational measure, not a mandated purchase, and buying them does not by itself establish approval; the controls are judged on the site’s procedures as a whole.
When a shipment did not receive the required controls
- The consignor establishes that the required security controls were not applied to the consignment, or that it did not originate the shipment for its own account.
- The consignor clearly notifies its regulated agent, so that the applicable alternative handling can be applied.
- The consignment is screened under the applicable rule before it moves on the secure supply chain.
- The known consignor accepts that screening.
Cargo moving from outside the EU into the EU (KC3)
For cargo or mail moving from a non-EU airport to an EU airport, the air carrier (ACC3) must ensure that the cargo is physically screened or comes from a validated secure supply chain. A non-EU known consignor is handled as a third-country known consignor, or KC3. According to the European Commission’s guidance for cargo handling entities in non-EU countries, there are two validation routes:
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| Validation route | How the status applies | Validity stated in the Commission guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Validated as part of an ACC3’s validation | Applies to the entity’s secure-supply-chain relationship with that particular ACC3 | Not stated for this route |
| Separate EU aviation-security validation | The entity submits its operations to a validation separate from any single carrier’s validation | Five years |
Cargo from an unknown entity cannot be treated as part of the secure supply chain. It must be screened by or for the ACC3, or by a third-country regulated agent, before it is loaded onto an EU-bound flight. A KC3 validation tied to one carrier relationship does not automatically cover other carriers or routes, so the specific validated entity and supply-chain relationship must be checked for each shipment path.
Checks before relying on the status
- Confirm the approval covers the exact premises that will originate the cargo, not a sister site.
- For non-EU origins, confirm which validation route applies and which ACC3 relationship it is tied to.
- Confirm the current rules with the national authority that governs the site, since national regimes outside the EU can differ.
- Ask your freight forwarder or carrier whether a given consignment will be handled as secure-supply-chain cargo or will be screened.
Sources and currency
This article relies on Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1998, consolidated text dated 1 January 2026, particularly points 6.4.1 and 6.4.2, and on the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport guidance “Information for cargo handling entities in non-EU countries,” checked on 8 October 2026. Rules and validation status can change, so the current consolidated text and live approval records should be consulted before acting on them.
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