CBP Updates its Synopsis of Trade Agreements/Programs
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site an updated PowerPoint presentation entitled "Preferential Trade Agreements and Trade Programs Synopsis (Non-Textile)," which outlines the criteria that imported articles must meet to qualify for preferential treatment under various trade agreements and programs; the statements and documents that an importer must be prepared to submit to substantiate their claim; etc.
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 states that this information is meant to serve as a general guidance and is not intended to constitute legally binding advice on the treatment of imported merchandise or goods under the various trade agreements/programs referenced in the synopsis.
Highlights of Changes Made to the Updated Synopsis
The following are highlights of the changes that were made to this updated synopsis:
Characterized as non-textile. One of the changes made by CBP's update of this synopsis is that it is now being characterized as a "non-textile" synopsis.
Reflects ATPA/ATPDEA, GSP expiration date extensions. CBP's synopsis is also updated to reflect the extension of the expiration of ATPA/ATPDEA to June 30, 2007 and GSP to December 31, 2008. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/21/06 news, 06122100, for BP summary announcing these extensions. See ITT's Online Archives or 06/06/07 news, 07060605, for BP reminder on the ATPA/ATPDEA expiration date.)
Merchandise Processing Fee. The guidance on AGOA has been updated to state that there is a MPF exemption for products of least-developed beneficiary developing countries (LDBDCs) listed in HTS General Note 4(b)(i) (GSP LDBDCs).
The GSP guidance has been updated to state that imported GSP goods from LDBDCs are exempt from the MPF regardless of whether or not a claim is made.
Synopsis Provides Guidance for 15 Trade Agreements/Programs
The trade agreements and programs discussed in this document are:
GSP (Generalized System of Preferences)
AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act)
AFTA (Australia Free Trade Agreement)
BFTA (Bahrain Free Trade Agreement)
ILFTA (Israel Free Trade Agreement)
JFTA (Jordan Free Trade Agreement)
MFTA (Morocco Free Trade Agreement)
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)
SFTA (Singapore Free Trade Agreement)
ATPA (Andean Trade Preference Act)
ATPDEA (Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act)
CBERA (Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act)
CBTPA (Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act)
DR-CAFTA (U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement); and
CFTA (Chile Free Trade Agreement)
CBP updated synopsis (dated May 2007) available at http://search.cbp.gov/cs.html?charset=iso-8859-1&url=http%3A//www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/international_agreements/fta_provisions.ctt/fta_provisions.ppt&qt=preferentialtradeagreementsprogramsynopsisjuly2006&col=&n=4&la=en