AEO certification tiers require progressive eligibility, digitized T1 processing, MSME simplifications, and T3 conditional on T2 tenure or partner certifications. A three tier AEO certification for importers and exporters sets distinct regimes: AEO-T1 requires documentary compliance and is fully digitized for online application and issuance; AEO-T2 requires fulfillment of substantive criteria with physical on site verification of submitted claims; procedural simplifications for MSMEs reduce documentation and security burdens; AEO-T3 requires two years continuous AEO-T2 status or an AEO T2 holder whose business partners hold equivalent AEO certifications.