CBP on Aug. 13 released a pre-publication version of a new proposed rule setting new importer identity verification requirements for customs brokers. Set for publication the following day, the proposal would create minimum standards for what information brokers have to collect from their clients, as well as requirements to verify and maintain records on that information.
CBP is issuing a proposed rule that would set minimum requirements for customs brokers to collect and verify information on their importer clients. Under the proposal, CBP would require brokers to collect certain information from their clients at the time they obtain power of attorney (POA), and then verify that information and retain records on the information and verification activities. Importer information and verification would have to be updated annually. Comments on the proposed rule are due Oct. 14.
CBP is issuing a notice formally announcing the beginning of a pilot to test a new type of informal entry in ACE for low-value shipments. New entry type 86 will allow importers of goods valued under the $800 de minimis level to file a less complex entry, including for goods subject to partner government agency (PGA) requirements, “and will expedite the clearance of compliant Section 321 low-valued shipments,” CBP said. The test will begin “no earlier than,” Sept. 28.
The lack of information provided to the government for low-value shipments is a major impediment to stopping imports of counterfeit goods, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America told the Commerce Department in a July 29 filing. The comments were filed in response to Commerce's request for input on the subject as it prepares a report for the president (see 1907080030). "For de minimis shipments valued at $800 or less, CBP clears shipments by processing data from manifests, which provides only limited data and does not include the information most needed for effective commercial targeting," the group said.
CBP will increase Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) fees by 7.167 percent to adjust for inflation in fiscal year 2020, the agency said in a notice. Affected fees include the merchandise processing fee, vessel and truck arrival fees and the customs broker permit user fee. The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, passed in 2015, required that CBP make inflation adjustments and fee limitations when deemed necessary (see 1512040024). CBP increased the fees by 4.886 percent last year (see 1807310028). The fees are effective Oct. 1.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control’s amendments to its reporting, procedures and penalties regulations are unclear and too broad, the Association of University Export Control Officers and The Clearing House Association said in July 22 comments, joining a series of trade associations that have been critical of the regulations' amendments.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control’s amendments to its reporting, procedures and penalties regulations are unnecessary, unclear and “overly burdensome” on the U.S. forwarding industry, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in comments to the agency. The comments stem from OFAC’s June 21 interim final rule on the regulations’ amendments, which expands the scope of certain transactions that must be reported to the Treasury (see 1906200036). The American Association of Exporters and Importers also criticized the amendments, saying they have caused U.S. companies a “great deal of confusion” (see 1907230054).
Guangzhou Customs in China will only accept digital versions of the “Customs Broker Power of Attorney Agreement” starting Aug. 1, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a July 23 report. The electronic version must be signed by the “customs declaration enterprise” and the “consignor (or consignee) of the imported/exported goods,” the report said. Guangzhou will then require it to be submitted through the region’s “customs clearance system,” the report said.
Australia is putting in place “strengthened” seasonal measures to prevent the introduction of brown marmorated stink bug into the country, the Australian Department of Agriculture said on its website. Certain goods from 33 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Japan and countries throughout Europe, will require treatment while the measures in effect, and roll-on, roll-off vessels that berth, load or transship in those 33 countries will face inspection requirements, Australia said. The seasonal measures will apply for goods shipped from Sept. 1, 2019, that arrive in Australian territory by May 31, 2020.
CHICAGO -- CBP plans to present its 21st Century Customs Framework to senior leadership for approval in August and introduce policy changes within the next year, a CBP official said at the agency’s Trade Symposium on July 23. CBP is finalizing a “fairly detailed roadmap” for the framework and expects it to make “measurable, fundamental changes,” Brandon Lord, CBP’s deputy executive director for trade, policy and programs, said during the conference. Since the agency announced the framework with a request for public comments in December (see 1812200003), Lord said CBP has tried to pinpoint “substantive changes” the agency can make through policy updates. CBP has focused on three issues from the public comments, he said: “streamlining the entry process,” “seamless information sharing” and creating a “robust framework for the e-commerce environment.”