The Mexican Secretariat of Economy recently issued instructions for entering samples into Mexico for the purpose of obtaining a certificate of compliance with Mexican product standards, according to a recent circular issued by the Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM), as posted by consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. Importers should declare the samples under Mexican tariff subheading 9906.00.01, and attach to the entry an electronic document issued by the relevant certification body that says the samples are being imported for the purposes of certification with a Mexican product standard, the circular said. A maximum of three samples may be imported for this purpose, or in some cases the number of samples stated in the relevant product standard. Under recently issued regulations, certain goods may not be imported into Mexico without a certificate of compliance at the time of entry stating it complies with Mexican product standards.
CBP is planning to put out some more information about the power of attorney requirements for customs brokers filing Type 86 entries, a CBP official said during a Sept. 12 call with software developers. The agency's Type 86 test notice (see 1908120019) mentions that CBP is "requiring that consignees intending to file an entry type '86' appoint a customs broker to act as the importer of record (IOR) for the shipment" and that "customs brokers must be designated to enter qualifying shipments through a valid power of attorney." While filing Type 86 entries is considered "customs business," CBP's "intention was not to have a broker go out and get thousands of powers of attorney when they're doing these type of shipments," the CBP official said. "So we are working with our attorneys to get some kind of clarification out there of what we mean by 'power of attorney,'" she said. For Type 86 entries that are subject to the Section 301 tariffs on China, CBP does not "expect" the filer to include Chapter 99 tariff numbers that are required for other entries with Section 301 goods, the official said.
The fourth tranche of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods that the Trump administration split into two subgroups, lists 4A and 4B, includes many very similar items that will require specificity for differentiating among them, blogged the Atlanta International Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association. Tariffs of 15 percent tariffs on the 4A goods took effect Sept. 1, and 15 percent duties on 4B items start Dec. 15. President Donald Trump said the 4B duties were deferred so they wouldn't hurt holiday shopping (see 1908130028). "Importers should pay special attention to material construction and product descriptions, now more than ever," said the association. "The two lists, in many cases, only differ after the 8th digit level of the Tariff number," which is based on material construction or specific uses, it said. "Projectors capable of directly connecting to and designed for use with an automatic data processing machine are on list 4A, unless they are color video projectors with a flat panel screen incorporating a VCR or player," said the trade group. "LED light bulbs and Christmas light bulbs escape higher tariffs until December while filament lamps are on List 4A."
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Sept. 3-6 in case they were missed.
CBP offered a review of the Section 321 data pilot (see 1907220025) and the Type 86 entry test (see 1908120019) in a new document posted by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. The data pilot is meant to "more clearly and accurately identify the entity causing the 321 shipment to move, the final recipient, and the contents of the package," CBP said. The ACE Type 86 entry test is hoped to give "greater visibility into the de minimis universe for both CBP and [partner government agencies] PGAs while ensuring regulatory requirements are met." The data pilot is limited to nine participants, while the Type 86 test is open to all customs brokers and self-filers.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency created a new webpage to help importers and customs brokers "to understand a reject message for imports declared through the Integrated Import Declaration (IID) system," the CFIA said in an email. The new webpage provides examples and descriptions of reject messages for CFIA-regulated imports.
A recent announcement of new funding for customs information technology and training grants for importers, exporters, brokers and forwarders in the United Kingdom may be too little and too late, said the British International Freight Association. Announced Sept. 3 (see 1909030069), the new round of £16 million may not lead to “thousands of more customs experts on hand to help businesses on and after Brexit day,” BIFA said. It could take up to a year to train new staff, even if there are enough trainers and courses for the new staff to attend, BIFA said. Less than 1,000 U.K. businesses applied for the first round of grants, out of more than 240,000 that currently trade with the EU, the trade group said. And worryingly, the funding may not be available until after Brexit day on Oct. 31, unless a company can get a training quote and submit an application within the next week, BIFA said. “That just adds to the enormous uncertainty and pressure that BIFA members, which are responsible for managing the movement of a large proportion of the UK’s visible international trade, have faced since the result of the Brexit referendum in June 2016,” BIFA said.
A Miami-based customs broker was recently convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy for his part in a scheme to lie to manufacturers to obtain deeply discounted medical devices intended for export, then divert those devices to customers in the United States. Luis Soto, president of Absolute Freight Services, was convicted after a jury trial where the Justice Department alleged Soto knew his actions as a forwarder contributed to the scheme.
Jon Kent, a lobbyist with Kent & O'Connor who has represented National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America for more than 30 years, will retire before the end of the year. "Jon has been an outstanding advocate for the NCBFAA and his shoes will be big ones to fill," NCBFAA President Amy Magnus stated in an email announcing the move. "During his long tenure with the association, he has demonstrated his ability to properly counsel, cajole and guide officers and committee chairs of NCBFAA, all with different management and leadership styles. We wish Jon the best in this next chapter for him and his family."
Mexico is again allowing more time for importers to comply with new certificate of compliance requirements for some Mexican product standards at the time of entry, the Latin American Confederation of Customs Brokers said in a recent circular. For the second time, an additional 15 days have been added to a grace period that now ends Sept. 10 for importers to obtain a certificate of compliance from a recognized certification body. Until the time period expires, importers that have not yet obtained the certificate may continue their current operations unchanged, as long as they submitted their request to the certification body by June 30 and include a receipt number for the request in their entry documentation. As part of this extension, Mexico announced that it will conduct a review as to why certification bodies have not processed pending requests for certificates, the circular said.