CBP Issues Instructions on Filing & Acceptance of Claims under the DR-CAFTA for Guatemala
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a memorandum on applying its earlier instructions on the filing and acceptance of claims for preferential tariff treatment of goods made under the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) to Guatemala.
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CBP states that for purposes of applying these earlier instructions to Guatemala, reference to a CAFTA-DR country is to the U.S., El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
However, CBP states that claims for preferential tariff treatment on goods that originate in Guatemala may only be made on goods that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after July 1, 2006.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/13/06 news, 06031305 for Part IV - Final, with links to earlier parts, on CBP's earlier instructions on filing and acceptance of claims under DR-CAFTA.)
According to a previous CBP ABI System Requirements notice, there are four types of CAFTA-DR claims:
ACS is Programmed for Guatemala, Importers May File ABI
CBP states that program updates to the Automated Commercial System (ACS), which allow for automated processing, have been completed. Therefore, importers claiming preference for goods of Guatemala under the CAFTA-DR may file ABI entries.
GSP, CBERA, and CBTPA Claims No Longer Allowed for Guatemala Goods
CBP also states that claims for preference under GSP, CBERA, and CBTPA will no longer be allowed for goods of Guatemala entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, on or after July 1, 2006.
(The CAFTA-DR was implemented for El Salvador effective March 1, 2006, pursuant to Proclamation 7987. It was implemented for Honduras and Nicaragua effective April 1, 2006, pursuant to Proclamation 7996. The DR-CAFTA was implemented for Guatemala effective July 1, 2006, pursuant to Proclamation 8034. See ITT's Online Archives or 07/06/06 news, 06070610 for Part I of BP's summaries on Proclamation 8034.)
CBP's implementation instructions for Guatemala (dated 07/03/06) available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/international_agreements/free_trade/dominican_republic/cafta-guatemala.ctt/cafta-guatemala.doc
CBP admin message on DR-CAFTA for Guatemala effective July 1, 2006 (Adm: 06-0790, dated 07/06/06), available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2006/2006-0790.ADM