Keeping customs brokers updated with the details of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement compliance is critical to helping smaller importers transition away from NAFTA, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade. Smith was interviewed on a June 25 podcast hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies about the USMCA, which enters into force July 1.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is on track to open up its ACE filing pilot to all filers on July 6, with an eye to issuing a final rule making use of the FWS partner government agency (PGA) message set mandatory at the end of the year, FWS senior wildlife inspector Rhyan Tompkins said on a June 22 webinar hosted by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet July 15, remotely, beginning at 1 p.m., CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by July 14.
Generally, an entry is liquidated after 314 days, but Geodis customs brokers told an audience of fashion industry professionals that there have been cases in which liquidation came early, and there was not enough time left to do a protest in order to get a refund after an exclusion was granted. The brokers spoke during a webinar hosted by the U.S. Fashion Industry Association.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America will use Sandler Travis as its new customs counsel, the NCBFAA said in a June 16 news release by email. Lenny Feldman will serve as lead counsel within the firm, it said. Sandler Travis and Feldman replace Grunfeld Desiderio and Alan Klestadt, who were the NCBFAA's customs counsel for more than a dozen years, the association said.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America will use Sandler Travis as its new customs counsel, the NCBFAA said in a June 16 news release by email. Lenny Feldman will serve as lead counsel within the firm, it said. Sandler Travis and Feldman replace Grunfeld Desiderio and Alan Klestadt, who were the NCBFAA's customs counsel for more than a dozen years, the association said.
The Commerce Department’s increased restrictions on shipments to military end-users is causing widespread confusion and could cripple exporters struggling to survive during the global COVID-19 pandemic (see 2005010037), industry groups said. The Bureau of Industry and Security's April 28 final rule (see 2004270027), set to take effect June 29, is too complex and was released with “poor” timing and without industry input, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said.
The United Kingdom on June 12 announced new plans to phase in import entry requirements for goods from the European Union over a six-month period following the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31, 2020. The U.K. government will also provide £50 million in additional funding for customs brokers, forwarders and express couriers for recruitment, training and information technology (IT) expenses.
Abu Dhabi’s customs authority recently introduced a series of measures to help importers during the COVID-19 pandemic, a June 8 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The incentive package allows importers to defer customs duties for 90 days from the date of their customs statement, and provides “pre‑clearance services” for imports through the agency’s “customs online operations system,” which is expected to save importers time and money. The agency will also offer “self-clearance services,” allowing companies to clear cargo “without the need for intermediary customs brokers.” Certain firms may also issue a customs warehouse license without paying license fees, and deposit and withdraw goods from warehouses without paying service fees, the report said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 1-5 in case they were missed.