U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a final rule which amends 19 CFR Parts 111, 113, 141, 142, and 143, effective January 29, 2010, in order to make Remote Location Filing (RLF) permanent, instead of a prototype test1 as it is currently.
Licensed Customs Broker
Customs brokers are entities who assist importers in meeting federal requirements governing imports into the United States. Brokers can be private individuals, partnerships, associations or corporations licensed, regulated and empowered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Customs brokers oversee transactions related to customs entry and admissibility of merchandise, product classification, customs valuation, payment of duties, taxes, or other charges such as refunds, rebates, and duty drawbacks. To obtain a customs broker license, an individual must pass the U.S. Customs Broker License Exam. Customs brokers are not government employees and should not be confused with CBP officials. There are approximately 11,000 active licensed customs brokers in the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a new informed compliance publication entitled What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: U.S. Customs & Border Protection Rulings Program.
At a November 4, 2009 trade association meeting, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials discussed a variety of issues related to the importation of textiles and apparel, highlights of which include the following:
At the November 5, 2009 Trade Support Network meeting, the TSN presented multiple documents to U.S. Customs and Border Protection regarding the Automated Commercial Environment.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry reminds the public that Japan will act as the chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2010 Symposium to be held December 9-10, 2009 in Tokyo. Participants will conduct discussions on APEC free trade goals, regional economic integration, the concept of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), and strategies for prosperity in Asia-Pacific. (Press release, dated 11/27/09, available at http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/data/20091127_01.html)
The ITDS Board has submitted its annual report on the International Trade Data System to Congress, as required by the 2006 SAFE Port Act.1 The report includes updates on the status of ITDS implementation and the status of the Automated Commercial Environment within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, among other issues.
The following were among determinations of the Court of International Trade in cases involving antidumping or countervailing duty law in October 2009.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently posted the October 2009 customs broker license exam and answer key. According to CBP sources, the pass rate for the October exam was 6.9%.
At the November 4, 2009 COAC meeting, a Treasury official announced that the International Trade Data System annual report to Congress has been issued. According to Treasury, the report contains recommendations that could help mitigate the effect of ACE delays on ITDS program. For example, the report recommends that CBP could begin to collect ITDS information for other agencies through the Automated Broker Interface, and then make the data available through the ACE data warehouse. See future issues of ITT for additional details of COAC meeting and ITDS report. (Report, dated September 2009, available at http://www.itds.gov/xp/itds/whats_new/)