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(A) The price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents adjusted to arrive at an f.o.b. port of exportation price; or

(B) If no exportation to a CBTPA beneficiary country is involved, the price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents, less the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs incurred in transporting the fabrics to the place of production if included in that price; or

(ii) If the price cannot be determined under paragraph (a)(4)(i) of this section or if CBP finds that price to be unreasonable, all reasonable expenses incurred in the growth, production, manufacture, or other processing of the fabrics, including the cost or value of materials (which includes the cost of non-recoverable scrap generated in forming the fabrics) and general expenses, plus a reasonable amount for profit, and the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs, if any, incurred in transporting the fabrics to the port of exportation.

(5) Declared customs value. “Declared customs value” when used with reference to fabric contained in an article means the sum of:

(i) The cost of fabrics formed in the United States that the producer or entity controlling production can verify; and

(ii) The cost of all other fabric contained in the article, exclusive of all findings and trimmings, determined as follows:

(A) In the case of fabric purchased by the producer or entity controlling production, the f.o.b. port of exportation price of the fabric as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents, or, if the price is other than f.o.b. port of exportation:

(1) The price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents adjusted to arrive at an f.o.b. port of exportation price, plus expenses for embroidering and dyeing, printing, and finishing operations applied to the fabric if not included in that price; or

(2) If no exportation to a CBTPA beneficiary country is involved, the price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents, plus expenses for embroidering and dyeing, printing, and finishing operations applied to the fabric if not included in that price, but less the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs incurred in transporting the fabric to the place of production if included in that price;

(B) In the case of fabric for which the cost cannot be determined under paragraph (a)(5)(ii)(A) of this section or if CBP finds that cost to be unreasonable, all reasonable expenses incurred in the growth, production, or manufacture of the fabric, including the cost or value of materials (which includes the cost of non-recoverable scrap generated in the growth, production, or manufacture of the fabric), general expenses and embroidering and dyeing, printing, and finishing expenses, plus a reasonable amount for profit, and the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs, if any, incurred in transporting the fabric to the port of exportation;

(C) In the case of fabric components purchased by the producer or entity controlling production, the f.o.b. port of exportation price of those fabric components as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents, less the cost or value of any non-textile materials, and less expenses for cutting or other processing to create the fabric components other than knitting to shape, that the producer or entity controlling production can verify, or, if the price is other than f.o.b. port of exportation:

(1) The price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents adjusted to arrive at an f.o.b. port of exportation price, less the cost or value of any non-textile materials, and less expenses for cutting or other processing to create the fabric components other than knitting to shape, that the producer or entity controlling production can verify; or

(2) If no exportation to a CBTPA beneficiary country is involved, the price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents, less the cost or value of any non-textile materials, and less expenses for cutting or other processing to create the fabric components other than knitting to shape, that the producer or entity controlling production can verify, and less the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs incurred in transporting the fabric components to the place of production if included in that price; and

(D) In the case of fabric components for which a fabric cost cannot be determined under paragraph (a)(5)(ii)(C) of this section or if CBP finds that cost to be unreasonable: all reasonable expenses incurred in the growth, production, or manufacture of the fabric components, including the cost or value of materials (which does not include the cost of recoverable scrap generated in the growth, production, or manufacture of the fabric components) and general expenses, but excluding the cost or value of any non-textile materials, and excluding expenses for cutting or other processing to create the fabric components other than knitting to shape, that the producer or entity controlling production can verify, plus a reasonable amount for profit, and the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs, if any, incurred in transporting the fabric components to the port of exportation.

(6) Year. “Year” means a 12-month period beginning on October 1 and ending on September 30 but does not include any 12-month period that began prior to October 1, 2000.

(7) Entered. “Entered” means entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, in the customs territory of the United States.

(b) Limitations on preferential treatment—(1) General. During the year that begins on October 1, 2002, and during any subsequent year, articles of a producer or an entity controlling production that conform to the production standards set forth in §10.223(a)(6) will be eligible for preferential treatment only if:

(i) The aggregate cost of fabrics (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) formed in the United States that were used in the production of all of those articles of that producer or that entity controlling production that are entered as articles described in §10.223(a)(6) during the immediately preceding year was at least 75 percent of the aggregate declared customs value of the fabric (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) contained in all of those articles of that producer or that entity controlling production that are entered as articles described in §10.223(a)(6) during that year; or

(ii) In a case in which the 75 percent requirement set forth in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section was not met during a year and therefore those articles of that producer or that entity controlling production were not eligible for preferential treatment during the following year, the aggregate cost of fabrics (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) formed in the United States that were used in the production of all of those articles of that producer or that entity controlling production that conform to the production standards set forth in §10.223(a)(6) and that were entered during the immediately preceding year was at least 85 percent of the aggregate declared customs value of the fabric (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) contained in all of those articles of that producer or that entity controlling production that conform to the production standards set forth in §10.223(a)(6) and that were entered during that year; and

(iii) In conjunction with the filing of the claim for preferential treatment under §10.225, the importer records on the entry summary or warehouse withdrawal for consumption (CBP Form 7501, column 34), or its electronic equivalent, the distinct and unique identifier assigned by CBP to the applicable documentation prescribed under paragraph (c) of this section.

(2) Rules of application—(i) General. For purposes of paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (b)(1)(ii) of this section and for purposes of preparing and filing the documentation prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section, the following rules will apply:

(A) The articles in question must have been produced in the manner specified in §10.223(a)(6) and the articles in question must be entered within the same year;

(B) Articles that are exported to countries other than the United States and are never entered are not to be considered in determining compliance with the 75 or 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) or paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section;

(C) Articles that are entered under an HTSUS subheading other than the HTSUS subheading which pertains to articles described in §10.223(a)(6) are not to be considered in determining compliance with the 75 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section;

(D) For purposes of determining compliance with the 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, all articles that conform to the production standards set forth in §10.223(a)(6) must be considered, regardless of the HTSUS subheading under which they were entered;

(E) Fabric components and fabrics that constitute findings or trimmings are not to be considered in determining compliance with the 75 or 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) or paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section;

(F) Beginning October 1, 2002, in order for articles to be eligible for preferential treatment in a given year, a producer of, or entity controlling production of, those articles must have met the 75 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section during the immediately preceding year. If articles of a producer or entity controlling production fail to meet the 75 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section during a year, articles of that producer or entity controlling production:

(1) Will not be eligible for preferential treatment during the following year;

(2) Will remain ineligible for preferential treatment until the year that follows a year in which articles of that producer or entity controlling production met the 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section; and

(3) After the 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section has been met, will again be subject to the 75 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section during the following year for purposes of determining eligibility for preferential treatment in the next year.

(G) A new producer or new entity controlling production, that is, a producer or entity controlling production which did not produce or control production of articles that were entered as articles described in §10.223(a)(6) during the immediately preceding year, must first establish compliance with the 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section as a prerequisite to preparation of the declaration of compliance referred to in paragraph (c) of this section;

(H) A declaration of compliance prepared by a producer or by an entity controlling production must cover all production of that producer or all production that the entity controls for the year in question;

(I) A producer is not required to prepare a declaration of compliance if all of its production is covered by a declaration of compliance prepared by an entity controlling production;

(J) In the case of a producer, the 75 or 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) or paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section and the declaration of compliance procedure under paragraph (c) of this section apply to all articles of that producer for the year in question, even if some but not all of that production is also covered by a declaration of compliance prepared by an entity controlling production;

(K) The U.S. importer does not have to be the producer or the entity controlling production who prepared the declaration of compliance; and

(L) The exclusion references regarding findings and trimmings in paragraph (b)(1)(i) and paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section apply to all findings and trimmings, whether or not they are of foreign origin.

(ii) Examples. The following examples will illustrate application of the principles set forth in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section.

Example 1. A CBTPA beneficiary country producer of articles that meet the production standards specified in §10.223(a)(6) in the first year sends 50 percent of that production to CBTPA region markets and the other 50 percent to the U.S. market; the cost of the fabrics formed in the United States equals 100 percent of the value of all of the fabric in the articles sent to the CBTPA region and 60 percent of the value of all of the fabric in the articles sent to the United States. Although the cost of fabrics formed in the United States is more than 75 percent of the value of all of the fabric used in all of the articles produced, this producer could not prepare a valid declaration of compliance because the articles sent to the United States did not meet the minimum 75 percent standard.

Example 2. A producer sends to the United States in the first year three shipments of articles that meet the description in §10.223(a)(6); one of those shipments is entered under the HTSUS subheading that covers articles described in §10.223(a)(6), the second shipment is entered under the HTSUS subheading that covers articles described in §10.223(a)(12), and the third shipment is entered under subheading 9802.00.80, HTSUS. In determining whether the minimum 75 percent standard has been met in the first year for purposes of entry of articles under the HTSUS subheading that covers articles described in §10.223(a)(6) during the following (that is, second) year, consideration must be restricted to the articles in the first shipment and therefore must not include the articles in the second and third shipments.

Example 3. A producer in the second year begins production of articles that conform to the production standards specified in §10.223(a)(6); some of those articles are entered in that year under HTSUS subheading 6212.10 and others under HTSUS subheading 9802.00.80 but none are entered in that year under the HTSUS subheading which pertains to articles described in §10.223(a)(6) because the 75 percent standard had not been met in the preceding (that is, first) year. In this case the 85 percent standard applies, and all of the articles that were entered under the various HTSUS provisions in the second year must be taken into account in determining whether that 85 percent standard has been met. If the 85 percent was met in the aggregate for all of the articles entered in the second year, in the next (that is, third) year articles of that producer may receive preferential treatment under the HTSUS subheading which pertains to articles described in §10.223(a)(6).

Example 4. An entity controlling production of articles that meet the description in §10.223(a)(6) buys for the U.S., Canadian and Mexican markets; the articles in each case are first sent to the United States where they are entered for consumption and then placed in a commercial warehouse from which they are shipped to various stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Notwithstanding the fact that some of the articles ultimately ended up in Canada or Mexico, a declaration of compliance prepared by the entity controlling production must cover all of the articles rather than only those that remained in the United States because all of those articles had been entered for consumption.

Example 5. Fabric is cut and sewn in the United States with other U.S. materials to form cups which are joined together to form brassiere front subassemblies in the United States, and those front subassemblies are then placed in a warehouse in the United States where they are held until the following year; during that following year all of the front subassemblies are shipped to a CBTPA beneficiary country where they are assembled with elastic strips and labels produced in an Asian country and other fabrics, components or materials produced in the CBTPA beneficiary country to form articles that meet the production standards specified in §10.223(a)(6) and that are then shipped to the United States and entered during that same year. In determining whether the entered articles meet the minimum 75 or 85 percent standard, the fabric in the elastic strips and labels is to be disregarded entirely because the strips and labels constitute findings or trimmings for purposes of this section, and all of the fabric in the front subassemblies is countable because it was all formed in the United States and used in the production of articles that were entered in the same year.

Example 6. A CBTPA beneficiary country producer's entire production of articles that meet the description in §10.223(a)(6) is sent to a U.S. importer in two separate shipments, one in February and the other in June of the same calendar year; the articles shipped in February do not meet the minimum 75 percent standard, the articles shipped in June exceed the 85 percent standard, and the articles in the two shipments, taken together, do meet the 75 percent standard; the articles covered by the February shipment are entered for consumption on March 1 of that calendar year, and the articles covered by the June shipment are placed in a CBP bonded warehouse upon arrival and are subsequently withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on November 1 of that calendar year. The CBTPA beneficiary country producer may not prepare a valid declaration of compliance covering the articles in the first shipment because those articles did not meet the minimum 75 percent standard and because those articles cannot be included with the articles of the second shipment on the same declaration of compliance since they were entered in a different year. However, the CBTPA beneficiary country producer may prepare a valid declaration of compliance covering the articles in the second shipment because those articles did meet the requisite 85 percent standard which would apply for purposes of entry of articles in the following year.

Example 7. A producer in the second year begins production of articles exclusively for the U.S. market that meet the production standards specified in §10.223(a)(6), but the entered articles do not meet the requisite 85 percent standard until the third year; the entered articles fail to meet the 75 percent standard in the fourth year; and the entered articles do not attain the 85 percent standard until the sixth year. The producer's articles may not receive preferential treatment during the second year because there was no production (and thus there were no entered articles) in the immediately preceding (that is, first) year on which to assess compliance with the 75 percent standard. The producer's articles also may not receive preferential treatment during the third year because the 85 percent standard was not met in the immediately preceding (that is, second) year. However, the producer's articles are eligible for preferential treatment during the fourth year based on compliance with the 85 percent standard in the immediately preceding (that is, third) year. The producer's articles may not receive preferential treatment during the fifth year because the 75 percent standard was not met in the immediately preceding (that is, fourth) year. The producer's articles may not receive preferential treatment during the sixth year because the 85 percent standard has become applicable and was not met in the immediately preceding (that is, fifth) year. The producer's articles are eligible for preferential treatment during the seventh year because the 85 percent standard was met in the immediately preceding (that is, sixth) year, and during that seventh year the 75 percent standard is applicable for purposes of determining whether the producer's articles are eligible for preferential treatment in the following (that is, eighth) year.

Example 8. An entity controlling production (Entity A) uses five CBTPA beneficiary country producers (Producers 1–5), all of which produce only articles that meet the description in §10.223(a)(6); Producers 1–4 send all of their production to the United States and Producer 5 sends 10 percent of its production to the United States and the rest to Europe; Producers 1–3 and Producer 5 produce only pursuant to contracts with Entity A, but Producer 4 also operates independently of Entity A by producing for several U.S. importers, one of which is an entity controlling production (Entity B) that also controls all of the production of articles of one other producer (Producer 6) which sends all of its production to the United States. A declaration of compliance prepared by Entity A must cover all of the articles of Producers 1–3 and the 10 percent of articles of Producer 5 that are sent to the United States and that portion of the articles of Producer 4 that are produced pursuant to the contract with Entity A, because Entity A controls the production of those articles. There is no need for Producers 1–3 and Producer 5 to prepare a declaration of compliance because they have no production that is not covered by a declaration of compliance prepared by an entity controlling production. A declaration of compliance prepared by Producer 4 would cover all of its production, that is, articles produced for Entity A, articles produced for Entity B, and articles produced independently for other U.S. importers; a declaration of compliance prepared by Entity B must cover that portion of the production of Producer 4 that it controls as well as all of the production of Producer 6 because Entity B also controls all of the production of Producer 6. Producer 6 would not prepare a declaration of compliance because all of its production is covered by the declaration of compliance prepared by Entity B.

(c) Documentation—(1) Initial declaration of compliance. In order for an importer to comply with the requirement set forth in paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section, the producer or the entity controlling production must have filed with CBP, in accordance with paragraph (c)(4) of this section, a declaration of compliance with the applicable 75 or 85 percent requirement prescribed in paragraph (b)(1)(i) or (b)(1)(ii) of this section. After filing of the declaration of compliance has been completed, CBP will advise the producer or the entity controlling production of the distinct and unique identifier assigned to that declaration. The producer or the entity controlling production will then be responsible for advising each appropriate U.S. importer of that distinct and unique identifier for purposes of recording that identifier on the entry summary or warehouse withdrawal. In order to provide sufficient time for advising the U.S. importer of that distinct and unique identifier prior to the arrival of the articles in the United States, the producer or the entity controlling production should file the declaration of compliance with CBP at least 10 calendar days prior to the date of the first shipment of the articles to the United States.

(2) Amended declaration of compliance. If the information on the declaration of compliance referred to in paragraph (c)(1) of this section is based on an estimate because final year-end information was not available at that time and the final data differs from the estimate, or if the producer or the entity controlling production has reason to believe for any other reason that the declaration of compliance that was filed contained erroneous information, within 30 calendar days after the final year-end information becomes available or within 30 calendar days after the date of discovery of the error:

(i) The producer or the entity controlling production must file with the CBP office identified in paragraph (c)(4) of this section an amended declaration of compliance containing that final year-end information or other corrected information; or

(ii) If that final year-end information or other corrected information demonstrates noncompliance with the applicable 75 or 85 percent requirement, the producer or the entity controlling production must in writing advise both the CBP office identified in paragraph (c)(4) of this section and each appropriate U.S. importer of that fact.

(3) Form and preparation of declaration of compliance—(i) Form. The declaration of compliance referred to in paragraph (c)(1) of this section may be printed and reproduced locally and must be in the following format:


Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act Declaration of Compliance for
Brassieres
[19 CFR 10.223(a)(6) and 10.228]
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Year beginning date: October 1, Official U.S. Customs and Border
___.
Year ending date: September 30, Protection Use Only
___.
Assigned number: _____
Assignment date: _____
2. Identity of preparer (producer or entity controlling production):
Full name and address: Telephone number: _____
Facsimile number: _____
Importer identification number:
_____
3. If the preparer is an entity controlling production, provide the
following for each producer:
Full name and address: Telephone number: _____
Facsimile number: _____
4. Aggregate cost of fabrics (exclusive of all findings and trimmings)
formed in the United States that were used in the production of
brassieres that were entered during the year: _____
5. Aggregate declared customs value
of the fabric (exclusive of all
findings and trimmings) contained
in brassieres that were entered
during the year: _____
6. I declare that the aggregate
cost of fabric (exclusive of all
findings and trimmings) formed in
the United States was at least 75
percent (or 85 percent, if
applicable under 19 CFR
10.228(b)(1)(ii)) of the aggregate
declared customs value of the
fabric contained in brassieres
entered during the year.
7. Authorized signature: 8. Name and title (print or type):
_________
Date:
------------------------------------------------------------------------


(ii) Preparation. The following rules will apply for purposes of completing the declaration of compliance set forth in paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section:

(A) In block 1, fill in the year commencing October 1 and ending September 30 of the calendar year during which the applicable 75 or 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) or paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section was met;

(B) Block 2 should state the legal name and address (including country) of the preparer and should also include the preparer's importer identification number (see §24.5 of this chapter), if the preparer has one;

(C) Block 3 should state the legal name and address (including country) of the CBTPA beneficiary country producer if that producer is not already identified in block 2. If there is more than one producer, attach a list stating the legal name and address (including country) of all additional producers;

(D) Blocks 4 and 5 apply only to articles that were entered during the year identified in block 1; and

(E) In block 7, the signature must be that of an authorized officer, employee, agent or other person having knowledge of the relevant facts and the date must be the date on which the declaration of compliance was completed and signed.

(4) Filing of declaration of compliance. The declaration of compliance referred to in paragraph (c)(1) of this section:

(i) Must be completed either in the English language or in the language of the country in which the articles covered by the declaration were produced. If the declaration is completed in a language other than English, the producer or the entity controlling production must provide to CBP upon request a written English translation of the declaration; and

(ii) Must be filed with the New York Strategic Trade Center, Customs and Border Protection, 1 Penn Plaza, New York, New York 10119.

(d) Verification of declaration of compliance—(1) Verification procedure. A declaration of compliance filed under this section will be subject to whatever verification CBP deems necessary. In the event that CBP for any reason is prevented from verifying the statements made on a declaration of compliance, CBP may deny any claim for preferential treatment made under §10.225 that is based on that declaration. A verification of a declaration of compliance may involve, but need not be limited to, a review of:

(i) All records required to be made, kept, and made available to CBP by the importer, the producer, the entity controlling production, or any other person under part 163 of this chapter;

(ii) Documentation and other information regarding all articles that meet the production standards specified in §10.223(a)(6) that were exported to the United States and that were entered during the year in question, whether or not a claim for preferential treatment was made under §10.225. Those records and other information include, but are not limited to, work orders and other production records, purchase orders, invoices, bills of lading and other shipping documents;

(iii) Evidence to document the cost of fabrics formed in the United States that were used in the production of the articles in question, such as purchase orders, invoices, bills of lading and other shipping documents, and customs import and clearance documents, work orders and other production records, and inventory control records;

(iv) Evidence to document the cost or value of all fabric other than fabrics formed in the United States that were used in the production of the articles in question, such as purchase orders, invoices, bills of lading and other shipping documents, and customs import and clearance documents, work orders and other production records, and inventory control records; and

(v) Accounting books and documents to verify the records and information referred to in paragraphs (d)(1)(ii) through (d)(1)(iv) of this section. The verification of purchase orders, invoices and bills of lading will be accomplished through the review of a distinct audit trail. The audit trail documents must consist of a cash disbursement or purchase journal or equivalent records to establish the purchase of the fabric. The headings in each of these journals or other records must contain the date, vendor name, and amount paid for the fabric. The verification of production records and work orders will be accomplished through analysis of the inventory records of the producer or entity controlling production. The inventory records must reflect the production of the finished article which must be referenced to the original purchase order or lot number covering the fabric used in production. In the inventory production records, the inventory should show the opening balance of the inventory plus the purchases made during the accounting period and the inventory closing balance.

(2) Notice of determination. If, based on a verification of a declaration of compliance filed under this section, CBP determines that the applicable 75 or 85 percent standard specified in paragraph (b)(1)(i) or paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section was not met, CBP will publish a notice of that determination in the Federal Register.

[CBP Dec. 04–40, 69 FR 69518, Nov. 30, 2004]

Non-Textile Articles Under the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act
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Source: T.D. 00–68, 65 FR 59663, Oct. 5, 2000, unless otherwise noted.

§ 10.231 Applicability.
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Title II of Public Law 106–200 (114 Stat. 251), entitled the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), amended section 213(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (the CBERA, 19 U.S.C. 2701–2707) to authorize the President to extend additional trade benefits to countries that have been designated as beneficiary countries under the CBERA. Section 213(b)(3) of the CBERA (19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(3)) provides for special preferential tariff treatment of certain non-textile articles that are otherwise excluded from duty-free treatment under the CBERA. The provisions of §§10.231–10.237 of this part set forth the legal requirements and procedures that apply for purposes of obtaining preferential tariff treatment pursuant to CBERA section 213(b)(3).

[T.D. 00–68, 65 FR 59663, Oct. 5, 2000; 65 FR 67263, Nov. 9, 2000]

§ 10.232 Definitions.
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When used in §§10.231 through 10.237, the following terms have the meanings indicated:

CBERA. “CBERA” means the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, 19 U.S.C. 2701–2707.

CBTPA beneficiary country. “CBTPA beneficiary country” means a “beneficiary country” as defined in §10.191(b)(1) for purposes of the CBERA which the President also has designated as a beneficiary country for purposes of preferential duty treatment of articles under 19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(3) and which has been the subject of a finding by the President or his designee, published in the Federal Register, that the beneficiary country has satisfied the requirements of 19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(4)(A)(ii).

CBTPA originating good. “CBTPA originating good” means a good that meets the rules of origin for a good as set forth in General Note 12, HTSUS, and in the appendix to part 181 of this chapter and as applied under §10.233(b).

HTSUS. “HTSUS” means the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

NAFTA. “NAFTA” means the North American Free Trade Agreement entered into by the United States, Canada, and Mexico on December 17, 1992.

Preferential tariff treatment. “Preferential tariff treatment” when used with reference to an imported article means entry, or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption, in the customs territory of the United States with duty and other tariff treatment that is identical to the tariff treatment that would be accorded at that time under Annex 302.2 of the NAFTA to an imported article described in the same 8-digit subheading of the HTSUS that is a good of Mexico.

[T.D. 00–68, 65 FR 59663, Oct. 5, 2000; 65 FR 67264, Nov. 9, 2000]

§ 10.233 Articles eligible for preferential tariff treatment.
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(a) General. The preferential tariff treatment referred to in §10.231 applies to any of the following articles, provided that the article in question is a CBTPA originating good, is imported directly into the customs territory of the United States from a CBTPA beneficiary country, and is not accorded duty-free treatment under U.S. Note 2(b), Subchapter II, Chapter 98, HTSUS (see §10.26):

(1) Footwear not designated on August 5, 1983, as eligible articles for the purpose of the Generalized System of Preferences under Title V, Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2461 through 2467);

(2) Tuna, prepared or preserved in any manner, in airtight containers;

(3) Petroleum, or any product derived from petroleum, provided for in headings 2709 and 2710 of the HTSUS;

(4) Watches and watch parts (including cases, bracelets, and straps), of whatever type including, but not limited to, mechanical, quartz digital or quartz analog, if those watches or watch parts contain any material which is the product of any country with respect to which HTSUS column 2 rates of duty apply; and

(5) Articles to which reduced rates of duty apply under §10.198a, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c) of this section.

(b) Application of NAFTA rules of origin. In determining whether an article is a CBTPA originating good for purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, application of the provisions of General Note 12 of the HTSUS and the appendix to part 181 of this chapter will be subject to the following rules:

(1) No country other than the United States and a CBTPA beneficiary country may be treated as being a party to the NAFTA;

(2) Any reference to trade between the United States and Mexico will be deemed to refer to trade between the United States and a CBTPA beneficiary country;

(3) Any reference to a party will be deemed to refer to a CBTPA beneficiary country or the United States; and

(4) Any reference to parties will be deemed to refer to any combination of CBTPA beneficiary countries or to the United States and one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries (or any combination involving the United States and CBTPA beneficiary countries).

(c) Duty reductions for leather-related articles. If, after it is determined that an article described in paragraph (a)(5) of this section qualifies as a CBTPA originating good and is eligible for preferential tariff treatment under this section, it is determined that the article in question also would otherwise qualify for a reduced rate of duty under §10.198a and that reduced rate of duty is lower than the rate of duty that would apply under this section, that lower rate of duty will apply to the article for purposes of preferential tariff treatment under this section.

(d) Imported directly defined. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, the words “imported directly” mean:

(1) Direct shipment from any CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States without passing through the territory of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country;

(2) If the shipment is from any CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States through the territory of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country, the articles in the shipment do not enter into the commerce of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country while en route to the United States and the invoices, bills of lading, and other shipping documents show the United States as the final destination; or

(3) If the shipment is from any CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States through the territory of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country, and the invoices and other documents do not show the United States as the final destination, the articles in the shipment upon arrival in the United States are imported directly only if they:

(i) Remained under the control of the customs authority of the intermediate country;

(ii) Did not enter into the commerce of the intermediate country except for the purpose of sale other than at retail, and the port director is satisfied that the importation results from the original commercial transaction between the importer and the producer or the producer's sales agent; and

(iii) Were not subjected to operations other than loading or unloading, and other activities necessary to preserve the articles in good condition.

§ 10.234 Certificate of Origin.
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A Certificate of Origin as specified in §10.236 must be employed to certify that an article described in §10.233(a)(1) through (5) being exported from a CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States qualifies for the preferential tariff treatment referred to in §10.231. The Certificate of Origin must be prepared by the exporter in the CBTPA beneficiary country. Where the CBTPA beneficiary country exporter is not the producer of the article, that exporter may complete and sign a Certificate of Origin on the basis of:

(a) Its reasonable reliance on the producer's written representation that the article qualifies for preferential tariff treatment; or

(b) A completed and signed Certificate of Origin for the article voluntarily provided to the exporter by the producer.

§ 10.235 Filing of claim for preferential tariff treatment.
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(a) Declaration. In connection with a claim for preferential tariff treatment for an article described in §10.233(a)(1) through (5), the importer must make a written declaration that the article qualifies for that treatment. The written declaration should be made by including on the entry summary, or equivalent documentation, the symbol “R” as a prefix to the subheading of the HTSUS under which the article in question is classified. Except in any of the circumstances described in §10.236(d)(1), the declaration required under this paragraph must be based on a complete and properly executed original Certificate of Origin that covers the article being imported and that is in the possession of the importer.

(b) Corrected declaration. If, after making the declaration required under paragraph (a) of this section, the importer has reason to believe that a Certificate of Origin on which a declaration was based contains information that is not correct, the importer must within 30 calendar days after the date of discovery of the error make a corrected declaration and pay any duties that may be due. A corrected declaration will be effected by submission of a letter or other written statement to the Customs port where the declaration was originally filed.

§ 10.236 Maintenance of records and submission of Certificate by importer.
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(a) Maintenance of records. Each importer claiming preferential tariff treatment for an article under §10.235 must maintain in the United States, in accordance with the provisions of part 163 of this chapter, all records relating to the importation of the article. Those records must include the original Certificate of Origin referred to in §10.235(a) and any other relevant documents or other records as specified in §163.1(a) of this chapter.

(b) Submission of Certificate. An importer who claims preferential tariff treatment on an article under §10.235(a) must provide, at the request of the port director, a copy of the Certificate of Origin pertaining to the article. A Certificate of Origin submitted to Customs under this paragraph:

(1) Must be on Customs Form 450, including privately-printed copies of that Form, or, as an alternative to Customs Form 450, in an approved computerized format or other medium or format as is approved by the Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs Service, Washington, DC 20229. An alternative format must contain the same information and certification set forth on Customs Form 450;

(2) Must be signed by the exporter or by the exporter's authorized agent having knowledge of the relevant facts;

(3) Must be completed either in the English language or in the language of the country from which the article is exported. If the Certificate is completed in a language other than English, the importer must provide to Customs upon request a written English translation of the Certificate; and

(4) May be applicable to:

(i) A single importation of an article into the United States, including a single shipment that results in the filing of one or more entries and a series of shipments that results in the filing of one entry; or

(ii) Multiple importations of identical articles into the United States that occur within a specified period, not to exceed 12 months, set out in the Certificate by the exporter.

(c) Correction and nonacceptance of Certificate. If the port director determines that a Certificate of Origin is illegible or defective or has not been completed in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, the importer will be given a period of not less than five working days to submit a corrected Certificate. A Certificate will not be accepted in connection with subsequent importations during a period referred to in paragraph (b)(4)(ii) of this section if the port director determined that a previously imported identical article covered by the Certificate did not qualify for preferential treatment.

(d) Certificate not required—(1) General. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, an importer is not required to have a Certificate of Origin in his possession for:

(i) An importation of an article for which the port director has in writing waived the requirement for a Certificate of Origin because the port director is otherwise satisfied that the article qualifies for preferential tariff treatment;

(ii) A non-commercial importation of an article; or

(iii) A commercial importation of an article whose value does not exceed US$2,500, provided that, unless waived by the port director, the producer, exporter, importer or authorized agent includes on, or attaches to, the invoice or other document accompanying the shipment the following signed statement:


I hereby certify that the article covered by this shipment qualifies for preferential tariff treatment under the CBTPA.

Check One:

( ) Producer

( ) Exporter

( ) Importer

( ) Agent

____________________

Name

____________________

Title

____________________

Address

____________________

Signature and Date


(2) Exception. If the port director determines that an importation described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section forms part of a series of importations that may reasonably be considered to have been undertaken or arranged for the purpose of avoiding a Certificate of Origin requirement under §§10.234 through 10.236, the port director will notify the importer in writing that for that importation the importer must have in his possession a valid Certificate of Origin to support the claim for preferential tariff treatment. The importer will have 30 calendar days from the date of the written notice to obtain a valid Certificate of Origin, and a failure to timely obtain the Certificate of Origin will result in denial of the claim for preferential tariff treatment. For purposes of this paragraph, a “series of importations” means two or more entries covering articles arriving on the same day from the same exporter and consigned to the same person.

§ 10.237 Verification and justification of claim for preferential tariff treatment.
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(a) Verification by Customs. A claim for preferential tariff treatment made under §10.235, including any statements or other information contained on a Certificate of Origin submitted to Customs under §10.236, will be subject to whatever verification the port director deems necessary. In the event that the port director for any reason is prevented from verifying the claim, the port director may deny the claim for preferential tariff treatment. A verification of a claim for preferential tariff treatment may involve, but need not be limited to, a review of:

(1) All records required to be made, kept, and made available to Customs by the importer or any other person under part 163 of this chapter;

(2) Documentation and other information in a CBTPA beneficiary country regarding the country of origin of an article and its constituent materials, including, but not limited to, production records, information relating to the place of production, the number and identification of the types of machinery used in production, and the number of workers employed in production; and

(3) Evidence in a CBTPA beneficiary country to document the use of U.S. materials in the production of the article in question, such as purchase orders, invoices, bills of lading and other shipping documents, and customs import and clearance documents.

(b) Importer requirements. In order to make a claim for preferential tariff treatment under §10.235, the importer:

(1) Must have records that explain how the importer came to the conclusion that the article qualifies for preferential tariff treatment. Those records must include documents that support a claim that the article in question qualifies for preferential tariff treatment because it meets the applicable rule of origin set forth in General Note 12, HTSUS, and in the appendix to part 181 of this chapter. A properly completed Certificate of Origin in the form prescribed in §10.236(b) is a record that would serve this purpose;

(2) Must establish and implement internal controls which provide for the periodic review of the accuracy of the Certificate of Origin or other records referred to in paragraph (b)(1) of this section;

(3) Must have shipping papers that show how the article moved from the CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States. If the imported article was shipped through a country other than a CBTPA beneficiary country and the invoices and other documents from the CBTPA beneficiary country do not show the United States as the final destination, the importer also must have documentation that demonstrates that the conditions set forth in §10.233(d)(3)(i) through (iii) were met; and

(4) Must be prepared to explain, upon request from Customs, how the records and internal controls referred to in paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(3) of this section justify the importer's claim for preferential tariff treatment.

Subpart F—Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act
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Apparel and Other Textile Articles Under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act
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Source: Sections 10.241 through 10.248 issued by T.D. 03–16, 68 FR 14487, Mar. 25, 2003; 68 FR 67338, Dec. 1, 2003, unless otherwise noted.

§ 10.241 Applicability.
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Title XXXI of Public Law 107–210 (116 Stat. 933), entitled the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), amended sections 202, 203, 204, and 208 of the Andean Trade Preference Act (the ATPA, 19 U.S.C. 3201–3206) to authorize the President to extend additional trade benefits to countries that are designated as beneficiary countries under the ATPA. Section 204(b)(3) of the ATPA (19 U.S.C. 3203(b)(3)) provides for the preferential treatment of certain apparel and other textile articles from those ATPA beneficiary countries which the President designates as ATPDEA beneficiary countries. The provisions of §§10.241 through 10.248 of this part set forth the legal requirements and procedures that apply for purposes of obtaining preferential treatment pursuant to ATPA section 204(b)(3) and Subchapter XXI, Chapter 98, HTSUS.

§ 10.242 Definitions.
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When used in §§10.241 through 10.248, the following terms have the meanings indicated: (continued)