U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Archives | Customs & International Trade Law Blog

Customs Bulletin Weekly, Vol. 56, November 16, 2022, No. 45

Below is a recap for this week’s Customs Bulletin.

African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Textile Certificate of Origin
- The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was adopted by the U.S. with the enactment of the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106–200). The objectives of AGOA are (1) to provide for extension of duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to import sensitive articles normally excluded from GSP duty treatment, and (2) to provide for the entry of specific textile and apparel articles free of duty and free of any quantitative limits from eligible countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
- For preferential treatment of textile and apparel articles under AGOA, the exporter or producer is required to prepare a certificate of origin and provide it to the importer. The certificate of origin includes information such as name and address of the exporter, producer, and importer; the basis for which preferential treatment is claimed; and a description of the imported article(s). The importers are required to have the certificate in their possession at the time of the claim, and to provide it to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon request. The collection of this information is provided for in 19 CFR 10.214, 10.215, and 10.216.
- CBP invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the proposed and/or continuing information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register […]

By Jennifer Diaz|2022-11-17T09:53:38-05:00November 21, 2022|COVID-19, Federal Register, Import, International Business, International Law, International Trade, U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Uncategorized|Comments Off

Customs and Weekly Trade Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

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By Jennifer Diaz|2022-11-18T16:32:49-05:00November 18, 2022|China, IRAN, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|Comments Off

Customs Bulletin Weekly, Vol. 56, November 2, 2022, No. 43

Below is a recap for this week’s Custom’s Bulletin.

Elimination of Customs Broker District Permit Fee
- Section 641 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1641), provides that individuals and business entities must hold a valid customs broker’s license and permit to transact customs business on behalf of others. The statute also sets forth standards for the issuance of broker licenses and permits; provides for disciplinary action against brokers in the form of suspension or revocation of such licenses and permits or assessment of monetary penalties; and, provides for the assessment of monetary penalties against other persons for conducting customs business without the required broker’s license.
- On June 5, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (85 FR 34549), proposing the elimination of customs broker district permit fees in parts 24 and 111.
- Consistent with the June 5, 2020, notice, CBP is publishing a final rule to, among other things, eliminate customs broker districts (see ‘‘Modernization of the Customs Broker Regulations’’ RIN 1651–AB16). Specifically, CBP is transitioning all brokers to national permits and expanding the scope of the national permit authority to allow national permit holders to conduct any type of customs business throughout the customs territory of the United States. As a result of the elimination of customs broker districts, CBP is amending in this document the regulations to eliminate customs broker district permit fees.
Modernization of the Customs Broker Regulations
- This document adopts […]

By Jennifer Diaz|2022-11-03T10:21:31-04:00November 7, 2022|301 INVESTIGATIONS, AD/CVD, China Trade War, Customs Broker, Import, International Law, International Trade, U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)|Comments Off

Customs and Weekly Trade Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

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By Jennifer Diaz|2022-11-08T14:48:32-05:00November 4, 2022|AD/CVD, China, Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), International Law, International Trade, Mexico, SDN List, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Uncategorized|Comments Off

Customs and Weekly Trade Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

[…]

By Jennifer Diaz|2022-11-08T14:47:25-05:00October 28, 2022|China, IRAN, Mexico, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. Department of State (DOS), U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Uncategorized|Comments Off

Customs Bulletin Update – Vol. 56, October 19, 2022, No. 41

Below is a recap for this week’s Custom’s Bulletin.

Revocation of three ruling letters, modification of one ruling letter, and revocation of treatment relating to the tariff classification of certain step stools
- Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1625(c)(1), CBP is revoking NY N294603, dated March 2, 2018, NY N196451, dated December 27, 2011, NY M84487, dated June 27, 2006, and modifying NY N235681, dated December 5, 2012, and revoking or modifying any other ruling not specifically identified to reflect the analysis contained in HQ H305377, set forth as an Attachment to this notice. Additionally, pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1625(c)(2), CBP is revoking any treatment previously accorded by CBP to substantially identical transactions.
- It is now CBP’s position that a one-step step stool is classified according to its constituent material in heading 3924, if made of plastics or in heading 4421, if made of wood. Accordingly, pursuant to GRI’s 1 and 6, the plastic one-step step stools in NY N294603 and NY N196451 are classified in subheading 3924.90.56, which provides for “Tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and hygienic or toilet articles, of plastics: Other: Other”. The one-step step stool made of MDF in NY N235681 and the wooden step stool in NY M84487 are classified in subheading 4421.99.97, which provides for “Other articles of wood: Other: Other: Other: Other
Proposed modification of one ruling letter and proposed revocation of treatment relating to the tariff classification of paper face masks
- Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1625(c)(1), CBP is proposing to […]

By Jennifer Diaz|2022-10-21T17:24:05-04:00October 24, 2022|CTPAT, Import, International Law, International Trade, IPR, Trademarks and Logos, U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Uncategorized|Comments Off

Customs and Weekly Trade Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

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By Jennifer Diaz|2022-10-25T16:40:54-04:00October 21, 2022|301 INVESTIGATIONS, International Business, International Trade, People's Republic of China, Russia, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)|Comments Off

Customs and Weekly Trade Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

[…]

By Jennifer Diaz|2022-10-13T17:29:48-04:00October 14, 2022|AD/CVD, EAR, HTS, Import Alert, International Trade, IRAN, People's Republic of China, Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, SDN List, Special 301, Trade Policy, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)|Comments Off

Customs and Weekly Trade Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

[…]

By Jennifer Diaz|2022-10-13T17:00:35-04:00October 7, 2022|China, International Law, International Trade, IRAN, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Uncategorized|Comments Off

Customs Undervaluation – It’s a Crime

Customs Valuation is a procedure to determine the customs value of imported goods. The customs value is essential to calculate the total duty to be paid on an imported good. As part of its agreement with the World Trade Organization (“WTO”), the U.S. is part of an internationally standardized system of valuing imports. This standardized system allows for CBP to protect revenue, ensure reasonable care from importers, and accurately calculate Census trade statistics. Accordingly, it is critical to declare the value of importations accurately and compliantly.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) valuation methodology (as well as a summary of relevant Customs rulings) are described in detail in the Valuation Encyclopedia (i.e., the best resource on valuation inquiries). CBP permits merchandise to be valued according to one of the six valuation methods listed below. The methods are applied sequentially from first to last until an applicable value is determined. If the first method does not apply, the importer must then evaluate the second, and so on, until an appropriate method applies. The only exception to this sequential evaluation requirement is when evaluating between deductive value and computed value – an importer may choose to use the computed value before the deductive value.

Methods of Valuation:

The transaction value of imported merchandise (the majority of imports use transaction value – i.e., the price paid or payable plus assists (see below))
The transaction value of identical merchandise
The transaction value of similar merchandise
Deductive value
Computed […]

By Jennifer Diaz|2022-09-29T11:30:35-04:00October 4, 2022|Best Practices, International Trade, Seizures, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)|Comments Off