International Trade Today is a Warren News publication.

CBP Corrects New Mailing Address for National Drawback Query "Hold Harmless" Agreement Documents and Cover Sheets

On February 7, 2006, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued an ABI administrative message advising ABI filers of drawback claims of a change of address used to mail "hold harmless" agreement documents and cover letters to CBP. According to CBP, these documents are required at the time the ABI filer submits a request to query an importer's entry summary records.

Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article

If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.

CBP issues new message correcting mailing address. On February 9, 2006, CBP issued a second announcement of the new mailing address for the national drawback query "hold harmless" agreement documents and cover sheets which contains a corrected mailing address.

The corrected mailing address is as follows:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Office of Field Operations

Trade Enforcement and Facilitation

  1. 0 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Room 5.2B

Washington, DC 20229

Attn: Steve Linnemann

Background. In 1996, CBP announced the national drawback query which provided drawback filers with limited expanded access to entry summary information. Under this program, the drawback filer may, with the permission of the importer, query any entry summary for that importer. In order for an importer to authorize a filer, or filers, to have access to the entry summaries covering that importer's transactions, a letter on company letterhead and a properly completed "hold harmless" agreement are required. According to CBP, the form for a standard "hold harmless" agreement can be found in Appendix I of the Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR).

(See ITT's Online Archives or 02/08/06 news, 06020810, for BP summary of CBP's original ABI message which contained the incorrect mailing address.)

CBP notice (Adm: 06-0210, dated 02/09/06) available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2006/2006-0210.ADM.