Monty Tayloe

The Mexican Secretariat of Economy has announced a 90-day grace period for new requirements to submit proof of compliance with certain Mexican product standards at the time of entry, according to a circular issued by the Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations that posted by consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. Under regulations issued in October, imports subject to some Mexican standards will be denied entry into Mexico beginning June 3, 2019, if they are not accompanied by a certificate of compliance previously entered into an automated system by the third-party certifier (see 1904100076).

Importers of goods from Vietnam into Mexico cannot currently request preferential duty treatment under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations said in a May 21 circular posted by consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. Though Vietnam has notified Mexico of the format of its certificate of origin to request preferential treatment, some doubts have surfaced about certificates that are being presented by importers, CAAAREM said.

The Treasury Department published its spring 2019 regulatory agenda for CBP. The agenda includes a new rulemaking that would amend CBP's regulations to revise the language on duty-free goods returned. The agency will try to issue an interim final rule by August this year. Specifically, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act extended duty-free treatment to products of non-U.S. origin exported and returned to the U.S. within three years after having been exported, and created a separate tariff schedule "subheading for returned U.S. Government property allowing duty-free return of U.S. Government property without time and origin restrictions."

Mexican customs will not enforce certificate of compliance requirements for imports of automobile safety belts at the time of entry into the country, said the Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations in a May 15 bulletin. At this time, there are no accredited and approved certification bodies to evaluate conformity with Mexican standards for safety belts under Mexican tariff schedule subheading 8708.21.01, the bulletin said. The exemption will remain in place until one year after the policy was issued on May 2.

Importers should have their customs broker file a protest on liquidated entries that are subject to pending exclusion requests on the Section 301 or Section 232 tariffs, C.H. Robinson said in a notice to customers posted May 15. "Entries typically liquidate 314 days after entry date," the company said. "However, we have seen some entries liquidate sooner. If you have a product exclusion request pending, and your entry liquidates before it has received a determination, request that your broker submit a protest to CBP with the notation 'Section 232 (or 301) product exclusion pending.' That notation will allow time for the product exclusion to be determined." That way, if the exclusion is approved, "the protest can be amended to include the exclusion number or information and a duty refund to be issued," and "if denied, the protest can be withdrawn." A CBP official recently said the agency will be unable to give any refunds once a protest period expires even if an exclusion is later granted (see 1905090059).

CBP is planning to create a “best practices” guide for the auto export trade industry “about the documentation and submission of title validation under section 192,” according to a letter from CBP provided by the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association. CBP is also planning to hold a question-and-answer session “to address any export concerns,” specifically relating to the “current Auto Export process” in the Los Angeles/Long Beach port, the letter said. The session is designed to help CBP gather a best-practices guide to “expedite trade while allowing CBP to focus on deterring the export of stolen” cars, according to the letter. The meeting is scheduled for May 21 in Long Beach, California.

The Mexican Tax Administration Service issued a notice May 8 amending the country’s Foreign Trade Regulations. Changes include the addition and removal of tariff subheadings -- all involving textiles, apparel and footwear -- from several annexes that list goods subject to import permits, goods that are prohibited from transit, and goods that may be moved through certain ports, among other things, according to a Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) circular posted by consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. The notice also makes changes to requirements for Mexican customs brokers.

CBP provided some details in a May 9 CSMS message on how importers should file entries that will be subject to the increased Section 301 duties on goods from China. The CSMS message confirms that the increased duties will only apply to goods exported and entered after May 10 (see 1905080035). During a call with software developers the same day, CBP officials explained that several pieces are still being worked out, including the addition of a tariff subheading for goods exported before May 10 and entered after the tariffs take effect.

Mexico will move the headquarters of its customs service to Nuevo Laredo, said General Administrator of Customs Ricardo Peralta, according to a report in La Verdad de Tamaulipas. Peralta confirmed the move during a meeting in Mexico City with Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuellar of Nuevo Laredo, Mayor Pete Saenz of Laredo, Texas, and Edgardo Pedraza Quintanilla of the Nuevo Laredo Customs Broker Association, the report said. The “decentralization” process is part of a broader customs reform that will see the creation of an independent Mexican customs agency (see 1904150042).

India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs is looking into the “quality and cost of services” in the country’s customs, such as shipping lines and customs brokers, and is planning to abandon “physical supervision” in bonded warehouses, according to a May 7 report from the India Brand Equity Foundation. The announcement is part of a larger examination by the CBIC into “issues” faced by its exporters in an attempt to improve “trade facilitation.”