International Trade Compliance News Summary

1. CBP Posts Schedule of Future ISF Outreach Events

CBP will offer ISF training in the following cities during the month of September.

· Miami, FL – Wednesday, September 09, 2009
· Charleston, SC – Wednesday, September 09, 2009
· Chicago, IL – Wednesday, September 23, 2009
· San Francisco, CA – Wednesday, September 23, 2009
· Washington, DC - Tuesday, September 29, 2009
· New York, NY - Wednesday, September 30, 2009
· Norfolk, VA – Wednesday, September 30,

Don’t forget to check out the penalty information published in the Customs Bulletin on July 17, 2009.


2. First Sale Indicator No Longer Required

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a message informing ports and the trade community that the requirement for filing the First Sale Declaration indicator ended on August 19, 2009. Starting on August 20, 2008, importers were required to enter the letter “F” in a miscellaneous indicator field for each entry line where the declared entry value was determined by the first sale rule. CBP collected the information and forwarded it to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), which will review the data for the 12-month period and report the findings to the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means by February 10, 2010.

3. Tips for New Importers and Exporters

On August 31, CBP posted revisions to its “Tips for New Importers and Exporters.” CBP recommends that importers and exporters become familiar with CBP policies and procedures prior to actually importing/exporting" goods. To assist the trade in this process, the article provides information and links related to:

· Licenses required for import
· Other Government Agencies
· Importing into the United States Publication
· Informed Compliance Publications
· CBP Ports and Contacts
· CROSS Rulings
· Export Documents, Licenses and Requirements
· Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
· Customs brokers
· Bills from CBP

Click HERE to access this information.

4. CBP Posts Updated ABI Provider List

CBP updated its list of providers of data processing services to the trade community for the Automated Broker Interface (ABI). Inclusion on the list does not constitute any form of an endorsement by CBP.

The list contains software providers for :

ACE = Automated Commercial Environment
DV = Drawback
FTZ = Foreign Trade Zone
ISF= Importer Security Filing
PV = Protest
QP/WP = In-bond
V = ABI entry

Service bureaus (SB) are also included on the list. Service bureaus act as a communications source for data transmission to ACS. These organizations are in the business of transmitting and receiving Customs data for ABI participants. Be sure to check with the individual provider to determine the services offered. Each of ABI participants have successfully completed a period of intensive testing to receive approval for various levels of ABI operations.


5. Lacey Act Declaration Enforcement Delayed for Some Products

In the September 2, 2009, Federal Register, the Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published revisions to the enforcement of the requirement to file an import declaration for certain goods under the Lacey Act. Be sure to check the Federal Register and the USDA web site for changes to the Phase III requirements starting October 1, 2009, and the Phase IV requirements starting April 1, 2010.