Author: CBIFFAWS

Phase VII was announced last year, and the final list of products is expected to be published in the Federal Register this summer. The list is expected to include all remaining plant product
HTS codes that are not 100% composite materials, including furniture, essential oils, and cork. To prepare, importers need to identify subject merchandise, engage suppliers to gather the necessary data, ensure declarations are properly prepared, and share the data with the customs broker filing the customs entry.

To increase its outreach and education efforts, APHIS provided a grant to the International Wood Products Association to offer free training. There are on-demand online courses available, and two opportunities in the first week of June 2024 for in-person, day-long courses with limited capacity. Learn more about the opportunities here:

Lacey Act Compliance Training – International Wood Products Association (iwpawood.org)

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will afford the following facilitation benefits to the greatest extent possible and practical to CTPAT members, particularly during the resumption of business following the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Strike.

• Front of the Line Inspections: All CTPAT partners should receive priority in examinations over non-CTPAT members to the extent possible and practical.
• Advanced Qualified Unlading Approval (AQUA) Lane: AQUA Lane allows CTPAT certified and validated sea carriers to unlade their cargo prior to the vessel being cleared by CBP. If approved, the vessels can commence unlading cargo upon arrival at certain U.S. seaports. AQUA Lane information is located at CTPAT AQUA Lane Bulletin. 

If you are interested in joining the CTPAT program, you can apply online at CTPAT: Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (cbp.gov), and Schenker can help prepare your company for the certification process.

The formal announcement is in the October 17, 2024 Federal Register. The USTR will consider exclusion requests on more than 300 HTSUS numbers at the 8-digit level for machinery in HTS chapters 84 and 85 and listed in the September 18, 2024 Federal Register notice in Annex E starting on page 76609 (page 29 of the linked pdf).

The web portal opened on October 15th and is at https://comments.ustr.gov. The portal closes on March 31, 2025.

After an exclusion request is posted, interested parties have 30 days to respond. Replies to responses are due the later of 15 days after the posting of a response, or 15 days after the closing of the 30-day response period. An approved exclusion becomes effective on the date of
publication of the exclusion determination in the Federal Register and will extend through May 31, 2025.

The exclusion request requirements are included in the October 17th Federal Register notice. They include a complete description of the machinery, whether it is subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order, how it will be used in domestic manufacturing,
whether it is available from U.S. or third country sources, and whether the equipment is strategically important or related to “Made in China 2025” or other Chinese industrial programs.

As exclusions become available, if your machinery is eligible, be sure to advise your contact at the customs brokerage office so it can be declared in applicable entries.