Artikel 65

1. (a) The relief from customs duties referred to in paragraph 4 of Article XI of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement shall be granted not only in respect of goods which at the time of their importation are the property of a force or a civilian component, but also in respect of goods delivered to a force or a civilian component in fulfilment of contracts concluded by the force or the civilian component directly with a person or persons not domiciled in the Federal Republic or Berlin (West). Such relief shall apply irrespective of whether such goods are carried in transport of the force or the civilian component or by commercial transport.
(b) Customs duties and excise taxes, including the Turnover Equalization Tax (Umsatzausgleichsteuer), shall not be levied in respect of imported goods which are withdrawn from customs-free areas or from continuous customs control for delivery to a force or a civilian component under contracts which an official procurement agency of the force or of the civilian component has concluded with a person or persons domiciled in the Federal Republic or in Berlin (West), provided that payment therefor is made in the currency of the sending State. This proviso shall also be deemed, to have been fulfilled if payment is made in Deutsche Mark, which the force or the civilian component has obtained by the conversion of such currency in the Federal Republic through agreed agencies, or in Deutsche Mark which, by special agreement between the governments concerned, may be so used for this purpose.
2. The relief referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall apply equally to goods imported or acquired by a force or a civilian component for disposal to their members or to dependents for their private use or consumption. Except where in specific cases it is otherwise agreed between the authorities of the force and the German authorities, disposal should be made only through specified services of the force or the civilian component or through organizations serving them, the names of which shall be notified to the Federal Government.
3. A force or a civilian component shall be permitted to dispose of goods in the Federal territory to persons other than members of the force or of the civilian component or dependents in accordance with agreements to be concluded with the German authorities. The fulfilment of the obligations under German customs legislation arising from the disposal of the goods shall be the reponsibility of the person acquiring such goods. The force or the civilian component shall permit removal of the goods only on production by the person concerned of a certificate from the German customs authority concerned to the effect that he has settled all relevant matters with the German customs administration.
4. A force and the competent German authorities shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the smooth and rapid clearing to imports and exports of the force and the civilian component by the German customs authorities.
5. Customs control by the German authorities in respect of imports and exports of a force or a civilian component shall be exercised in accordance with the following principles:
(a) Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article XI of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement and subject to the provisions of sub-paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of this paragraph, consignments of a force or of a civilian component may be examined by the German customs authorities as to the number, type, marking and weight of the individual packages.
(b) (i) The German customs authorities may also examine the contents of consignments. Such examination, so far as packages which are sealed with an official seal of a force or of the military authorities of a sending State are concerned, shall take place only in cases of serious suspicion. So far as other consignments are concerned, examination may also take place on a spot-check basis. The goods compartments of vehicles which are sealed as described in the second sentence of this item, and closed packages, shall be examined only in the presence of representatives of the force or of the civilian component designated for that purpose, unless in any particular case the force or the civilian component does not elect to be represented.
(ii) The extent of the examinations and the methods by which they shall be carried out shall be the subject of special agreements to be concluded between the authorities of a force and the German customs authorities. Such agreements shall take into account the different kinds of consignment, the mode of transport, the system operated by the force, and all other relevant factors. A force or a civilian component may request that the examination take place not at the frontier but at or near the place of destination of the consignments. In such cases the German customs authorities shall be entitled to take such steps as are necessary to ensure that the consignment reaches the place of examination intact.
(i) The German customs authorities may also examine the contents of consignments. Such examination, so far as packages which are sealed with an official seal of a force or of the military authorities of a sending State are concerned, shall take place only in cases of serious suspicion. So far as other consignments are concerned, examination may also take place on a spot-check basis. The goods compartments of vehicles which are sealed as described in the second sentence of this item, and closed packages, shall be examined only in the presence of representatives of the force or of the civilian component designated for that purpose, unless in any particular case the force or the civilian component does not elect to be represented.
(ii) The extent of the examinations and the methods by which they shall be carried out shall be the subject of special agreements to be concluded between the authorities of a force and the German customs authorities. Such agreements shall take into account the different kinds of consignment, the mode of transport, the system operated by the force, and all other relevant factors. A force or a civilian component may request that the examination take place not at the frontier but at or near the place of destination of the consignments. In such cases the German customs authorities shall be entitled to take such steps as are necessary to ensure that the consignment reaches the place of examination intact.
(c) If the German customs authorities so request, consignments, which, according to the certified statements of the authorities of a force, contain military equipment to which special security regulations apply, shall be subject to examination to be carried out only by representatives of the force specially designated for that purpose. The result of the examination shall be notified to the competent German authority.
(d) The provisions of sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this paragraph shall apply in principle also to consignments of a force which arrive at or are sent from military airfields. The German customs authorities shall, however, content themselves with occasional checks which shall be undertaken after arrangements have been made with the authorities of the force responsible for the airfield in question. The authorities of the force shall carry out a regular control of all such consignments. Customs control in the interior of aircraft which are military equipment to which special security regulations apply, shall be carried out only specially designated representatives of the force.
6. Export of goods acquired in the Federal territory by a force or a civilian component shall be subject to the deposit at the customs office of a certificate similar to that referred to in paragraph 4 of Article XI of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement, except insofar as within the scope of paragraph 10 of that Article such certificate will be dispensed with.