Author: John Foote On Sunday April 19, President Trump issued an Executive Order, accompanied by an interim Final Rule from CBP which will permit a limited 90-day deferral of certain customs duty payments. This duty deferral is subject to several conditions and is quite limited in scope. Depending on the means by which your company makes duty deposits, it may also require action today (by 11:59 pm ET, Monday, April 20) in order to take…
On April 14, 2020, the Canada Gazette published the Regulations Amending the Contraventions Regulations (Quarantine Act). The Regulations came into force on April 11, 2020, the day on which they were registered. In response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which began to have serious impacts in Canada in March 2020, the Government of Canada has made numerous emergency orders under the Quarantine Act. These orders restrict entry into Canada or subject persons entering Canada to…
On April 17, 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) filed a notification of exemptions (the “FEMA Notification”) in the Public Inspection List that identifies 10 exemptions from the temporary final rule published on April 10, 2020 (the “FEMA Rule”), which restricts the export from the United States of certain personal protective equipment (“PPE Products”) used in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the FEMA Notification will not be published in the Federal Register until Tuesday, April 21, 2020, it…
On April 9, 2020, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued internal guidance (available here as of April 14, 2020) (“Guidance”) to CBP Field Operations Directors on CBP’s implementation of the new temporary final rule published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) imposing export restrictions on certain personal protective equipment products (“PPE Products”) used in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic (the “FEMA Rule”). Specifically, the Guidance describes which products and shipments are targeted by the export…
On April 14, 2020, CSMS# 42364745 announced that due to the high volume of inquiries received in the COVID-19 Relief Imports email inbox, CBP is migrating to the COVID-19 Relief Imports Web Portal. The web portal has been established to replace the email address for all cargo inquiries related to the importation of medical supplies to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It provides an interactive experience for the user to review pertinent information…
UK HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) has issued a communication stating that it is willing to consider extending payment deadlines on a case-by-case basis, for importers facing severe financial difficulties as a direct result of COVID-19. Businesses holding a duty deferment account may request an extension of the payment deadline for deferred customs duty and import VAT, without needing to call on a guarantee, increasing their guarantee limit, or risking their deferment account being suspended. …
On April 13, 2020, CBP issued CSMS #42355914 – GUIDANCE: Section 301 China – Extension of Certain Product Exclusions Covered under Tranche 1 – $34B –Action (9903.88.07), which is reproduced below: Background On April 10, 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published Federal Register (FR) Notice 85 FR 20332 to extend for 12 months certain product exclusions covered by the April 18, 2019 notice (see 84 FR 16310) for Section 301 duties on China ($34B…
The purpose of this CSMS message is to update CSMS #18-000424 to address the guidance for products entered under the provisions of Chapter 98, HTSUS for goods that are subject to the additional duties for Section 232 Steel and Aluminum. Background On March 8, 2018, the President issued Proclamations 9704 and 9705 on Adjusting Imports of Steel and Aluminum into the United States, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended…
On 6 April 2020, the European Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/502 (the “Implementing Regulation”) introducing additional tariffs on certain products originating from the US. This was adopted in retaliation to the further safeguard measures in the form of tariff increases, adopted by the United States on 24 January 2020, in relation to imports of certain derivative aluminium and steel products which took effect with unlimited duration on 8 February 2020. Effective May 2020, the…
On April 10, 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) will publish in the Federal Register a notice that extends for one year certain exclusions, which were granted in April 2019 from the approximately $34B worth of Chinese products (represented by 818 8-digit subheadings) subject to 25% tariffs imposed on July 6, 2018. The product exclusion extensions announced in the notice will apply as of April 18, 2020, and extend for one year. US Customs and…