CBP Trade Webinars in April U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will host two new trade webinars in April. The first one will be on Petroleum gases and other Gaseous Hydrocarbon in heading 2711 and it will be on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The second will be on What is a Men’s T-Shirt and What isn’t a Men’s T-shirt, and …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 23-001 – January 18, 2023
CBP Clarifies China Postal Code Requirement In November 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unveiled new requirements for postal codes to be included in China Manufacturer ID’s. The instructions implied that a China postal code will be required when a China MID is used for the release of cargo and for entry summary line information when an item is …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 22-011 – September 27, 2022
FDA Food Facility Renewal Registration Begins Oct. 1 The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Facility Registration Renewal will open on October 1, 2022. The registration period will be open through December 31, 2022. All food facilities of an importer’s supply chains must submit a timely renewal. Failure to do so will cause products to be denied entry into the …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 22-008 – July 8, 2022
CBP Introduces New Green Trade Strategy Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched the “Green Trade Strategy,” a framework to incentivize green trade, strengthen the agency’s environmental enforcement posture, accelerate green innovation, and improve climate resilience and resource efficiency. The agency said the strategy sets up a proactive model to combat the negative impacts of climate change on the agency’s trade …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 22-005 – April 28, 2022
CBP is Issuing “Known Importer” Letters in Advance of UFLPA U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has started to send out letters to importers who are identified as possibly having previously imported goods that may be subject to enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Act (UFLPA) which will become effective on June 21, 2022. Under ULFLPA, there is a presumption …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 21-008 – August 24, 2021
CBP Announces Registration for the Next Broker Exam U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has opened registration for the next Broker’s Exam that will take place on October 21, 2021. Registration for the exam will close on September 21, 2021. CBP is offering both a remote option for the test and an in-person exam. Details about the exam can be …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 21-005 – June 3, 2021
Sections in Southern China are Facing Lockdowns Due to Covid-19 Outbreak Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are continuing to expand viral screening and lockdown measures in response to a Covid-19 variant outbreak which erupted from a dim sum cluster last week. State news agency Xinhua reported that 38 zones in the provincial capital of Guangzhou where the …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 20-010 – September 3, 2020
USTR Grants Exclusion Extensions to China 301 List 4 The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a Federal Register Notice (FRN) on September 2, 2020 granting 87 extensions to exclusions from China 301 duties, for certain items on List 4. Fourteen (14) of the extensions were for specific HTSUS numbers with no specific description to be met …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 20-006 – June 18, 2020
Revised USMCA Interim Implementation Instructions U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has published revised Interim Implementation Instructions for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). It provides various updates to instructions, many of which were based on questions CBP received in the webinars they hosted. The instructions are guidelines and the final regulations are expected near the date of implementation; however, the guidelines …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 19-011 – August 27, 2019
Updates on the 5% Increase to China Section 301 Duties We have seen many comments on whether there will be a 5% increase on Section 301, raising the rate for Tranches 1, 2 and 3 from 25% to 30% and Tranches 4A to 4B from 10% to 15%. There is a written announcement on the website of the Office of …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 19-001 – January 4, 2019
CBP Requiring AED on All Postal Shipments from China U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is requiring advance electronic data on all mail shipments from China, Hong Kong and Macau as of January 1, 2019. Carriers, both air and ocean, will confirm with China Postal officials that the advance data has been filed before loading the mail on their conveyance. …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 15-002 – January 28, 2015
ILWA/PMA Contract NegotiationAs was widely reported in the last two days, it appears that the union and employers have come to an agreement of some sort this past weekend. The topics discussed included the critical issue o chassis maintenance and repairs when conducted within the terminal(s). It has also been reported that the talks have picked up speed and could …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 25-028 – July 09, 2025
President Issued an Executive Order Extending the Pause on Reciprocal Tariffs On July 7, President Trump signed an executive order to extend the pause of the increase in reciprocal tariffs for the 60 countries subject to higher tariffs. He extended the pause from July 8 to August 1, for more time for ongoing negotiations to be completed. In the meantime, …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 25-026 – June 13, 2025
BIS Adds Steel Appliances to Steel Derivative List for 232 Tariffs The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a Federal Register Notice announcing that it will include new steel derivatives involving household appliances. It revises Annex 1 to the list of goods subject to the Section 232 tariffs, effective June 23. It adds these additional steel derivative products …
SPECIAL MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 25-012 – March 03, 2025
Mexico and Canada Additional Tariffs Will Not Be Postponed at This Time On Sunday, President Trump told the press that the additional tariffs for Canada and Mexico that were postponed until March 4, 2025, will not be extended again and will go into effect at 12:01 AM on March 4, 2025. He also stated that he will increase the additional …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 25-010 – February 27, 2025
ILA Members Have Ratified the Union Contract The contract agreed upon by the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) was ratified by the rank-and-file members of the ILA. Steel and Aluminum Tariffs President Trump decided that the current Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel were not accomplishing their goals. He issued two executive orders …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 24-019 – October 31, 2024
USITC Finds That Aluminum Extrusions from 13 Countries Do Not Injure U.S. Markets In November of 2024 the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) announced a preliminary investigation for possible antidumping and countervailing duty to be assessed for aluminum extrusions from China, Columbia, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malayasia, Mexico, South Kores, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Based information …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 24-011- August 2, 2024
Annual User Fees Increase has been Announced U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the annual increases in user fees. They include: Formal entry merchandise fee minimum from $29.68 to $32.71 and the maximum from $575.35 to $634.62. Informal entry; automated from $2.37 to $2.62 and manual from $7.12 to $7.85. Commercial truck arrival from $6.50 to $7.20 User …
MEMO TO CLIENTS ISSUE 24-008 – MAY 31, 2024
The USTR is Taking Comments and Requests for Exclusions for China 301 Duties In our last Memo to Clients, we wrote about the proposed additional products subject to China 301 duties and/or substantial increases. The Office of the USTR will accept comments on the increase and will accept new exclusion requests. The USTR opened the comments period on May 29, …