Consulting Services
Now more than ever importers may need help and seek the services of a professional. Partly because of the Modernization Act (Mod Act) of 1993, partly due to never ending changes caused by the events of Sept 11, and partly due to the ever-changing and increasingly more complex global economy. When Customs passed the Modernization Act it changed the way importers and Customs engage. It changed by placing more responsibility on the importers; and transferring the responsibility of complying with the import laws and regulations from Customs to the importer.
The Mod Act moved the responsibility for declaring value from Customs to the importer, and classifying and determining the correct duty rate applied for the imported products submitted. The importer must use reasonable care to make sure that all necessary documentation provided to Customs is accurate and will permit Customs to properly assess duties, and to conclude whether any other relevant laws are met. An importers failure to practice reasonable care can delay the release of their imported products and Customs can inflict penalties for failure to use reasonable care.
The resources and facts of all import dealings differ from the importer to the description of the imported products. Therefore, neither Customs nor the importing community can establish a reasonable care checklist that would cover every import transaction.
Procedures you should follow to help you practice reasonable care
- What you the importer can do to practice reasonable care is review all customs documentation received from the shipper to make sure it is complete and accurate.
- Make sure that a complete and accurate description of the products you order is written on the invoice submitted to Customs.
- You must have a reliable method to make certain that you know what you ordered, the country of manufacture, and what it is made of is on the documentation submitted.
- Depending on the nature of your products you may need to apply for a ruling from Customs
- If a special tariff classification is used or if your product is claimed as conditionally free, you must make sure that your products qualify for such condition.
- You must be sure that a correct tariff classification for your products is submitted to Customs
- You must know how to classify your products or get help from a professional customs broker.
- For textiles you must use reasonable care to make sure the documentation, packaging, and labeling have the true and correct country of manufacture.
The events of 911 have changed the way we do business not only in the United States but also in some foreign countries. September eleven has forced many changes and regulations enforced by Customs on imported products. Some of the new regulations like the Container Security Initiative (CSI) are performed in the foreign country to pre-screen and or examine ocean containers prior to getting exported to the USA. The other regulations are Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), and Import Security Filing (ISF).
The Food and Drug administration has also made many changes, increasing the data that needs to be submitted, and registering the companies that export products to the USA and import the products that are for food consumption. There will be other changes from FDA.
It’s making it extremely difficult for the importer to keep up with all the changes.
That is why Cap Intl a licensed customs broker offers the service of consulting. We will help you if there is a special requirement for your products. We will help classifying the products correctly and use reasonable care to submit all documentation about your products to Customs. We will notify you and help you navigate new procedures that are about to go into effect.
If you have any questions or need help with anything regarding import shipments call us at 832-649-4392 or email us to logistics@capcustomsbroker.com
