CBP released its Oct. 31 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 45). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include Court of International Trade decisions.
CBP granted a “snow day” to all who file entries at the Ports of JFK and New York/Newark for Nov. 1, said CBP New York in an informational pipeline message. "This request is being granted due to the business resumption needs of the brokerage and importing communities and the unique circumstances created by Hurricane Sandy," the pipeline said. "As a result of this situation, we are extending one (1) additional day without penalty for any late filed entry summaries and payments of duties that were due on Thursday, November 1, 2012, in the Ports of JFK and New York/Newark." According to the message, CBP hadn't yet made a decision on allowing for a snow day on Nov. 2.
CBP's Office of Information and Technology has posted an updated list of companies/persons offering ABI data processing services to the trade community.
CBP posted an updated document on the mutual recognition of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and foreign industry partnership programs. The document closely follows CBP's August version.
CBP has moved too slowly in providing guidance on changes to textile-bottomed footwear classification in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) from last year, a group of footwear trade associations said in a Oct. 26 letter to CBP Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar. The trade associations are American Apparel & Footwear Association, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, Outdoor Industry Association and Rubber & Plastics Footwear Manufacturers Association.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Oct. 30. The corresponding downloadable rulings are now available.
Post-entry audits of customs filings remain outside of "customs business" and therefore don't require broker licensing, said Myles Harmon, director-commercial and trade facilitation at CBP, in ruling HQ114654. The ruling was in response to a request from Koot & Associates, which asked for CBP input on the legal status of a new subsidiary providing "customs compliance services." The company asked CBP whether employees of the new offices, who will work to identify errors in entry documents using post-entry audit software, are performing "customs business."
CBP posted an Oct. 30 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.
CBP Seattle received one application to provide a Centralized Examination Station (CES) at the Port of Tacoma, it said in a Trade Information Notice (TIN). Comments regarding the applicant, Konoike-Pacific Tacoma Terminals, can be submitted through Nov. 28. to Area Port Director, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 1000 2nd Ave., Suite 2100, Seattle WA 98104. The TIN includes the application and proposed CES fees.
CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of Oct. 29. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, and tobacco; and certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, OFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, OFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying textile articles and/or other articles; the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc.