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Registered Traveler Program
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has introduced the Global Entry pilot program, scheduled to launch on June 6, 2008. Global Entry is designed to expedite the screening and processing of low-risk, frequent international "trusted" travelers entering the United States.
Global Entry will be available for U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are frequent international travelers, provided they have not been found guilty of a criminal offense, charged with a customs or immigration offense, or declared inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration legislation. Biometric fingerprint technology will be used to verify the passenger's identity and confirm his or her status as a Global Entry participant
The pilot will initially be conducted at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York; the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas; and the Washington Dulles International Airport, Sterling, Virginia, and may expand to other locations as announced.
International Travel Tip: Register Items Before You Leave the United States
If your laptop computer was made in Japan, for instance, you might have to pay duty on it each time you bring it back into the United States, unless you could prove that you owned it before you left for your trip. Documents that fully describe the item - such as sales receipts, insurance policies, or jeweler's appraisals - are acceptable forms of proof.
To make things easier, you can register certain items with CBP before you depart- including watches, cameras, laptop computers, firearms, and CD players-as long as they have serial numbers or other unique, permanent markings. Take the items to the nearest CBP office and request a Certificate of Registration (CBP Form 4457). It proves that you had the items with you before departing the United States and all items listed on the form will be allowed duty-free entry. CBP officers must see the item you are registering in order to certify the certificate of registration. You can also register items with CBP at the international airport from which you're departing. Keep the certificate for future trips.
More information for travelers and infrequent importers/internet shoppers can be found by visiting the following links:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/basic_trade/infrequent_importer_info/
Rough Diamonds Control Regulations Published
On May 21, 2008, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury ("OFAC") published amendments to the Rough Diamonds Control Regulations, 31 CFR Part 592, to add requirements designed to enhance the collection of statistics related to importations and exportations of rough diamonds.
One of the amendments is to Note 4 Section 592.301. The new note to this section states that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will not release custody of an importation of rough diamonds described in subheadings 7102.10, 7102.21 or 7102.31 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, regardless of value, unless the import conforms with CBP's formal entry for consumption requirements, as defined in 19 CFR 141.0a (f).
Questions can be directed to the Enforcement Policy Branch at (202) 863-6057.
ACE Tariff Schedule Out of Date
Customs sent a CSMS (Cargo Systems Messaging Service) alert on May 29 advising the following: "The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) information displayed on the ACE Portal is out of date, and will not be updated. The version listed is from July, 2007."
You can view the most current version by accessing the United States International Trade Commission's (USITC) website: http://www.usitc.gov
If you have any questions or comments regarding the Compliance eNewsletter,
please contact Paul Codere from the Customs Brokerage Department. |
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