Turkey recently announced several changes to its certificate of origin submissions to customs, according to an April 27 post from KPMG. The country introduced a “cash guarantee application” in its certificate of origin rules, which can be submitted to the country’s customs authority after importation, the post said. The country also announced a process for refunds if the certificate of origin is submitted to the customs authority within six months “from the date of registration of the declaration,” the post said. Turkey may also request a trader’s certificate of origin if the goods are “subject to more than one trade policy measure, additional customs duties ... or when different rates are determined.” If the certificate cannot be submitted, the goods will incur a higher customs duty.
Bahrain recently introduced an online customs clearance and payments service, eliminating the need for traders to present customs declaration forms and pay duties in person at ports of entry, according to an April 27 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The service will allow “any entity in Bahrain” to process online payments for any outstanding fee, the report said. But the country’s customs stressed that traders must still keep original customs statements and other documents, which may be subject to inspection at a later date.
The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security is working on guidance to help industry comply with the expanded licensing requirements for exports to China announced earlier this week (see 2004270027). The guidance will address new restrictions on exports intended for military users and uses, said Matt Borman, Commerce deputy assistant secretary for export administration. The rule expands the definition for military end-use and will cover military end-users in China, placing more of a compliance burden on industry.
Although the auto industry appears to have lost the fight to delay a switchover from NAFTA to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, an executive at the organization that represents parts suppliers said they now hope that with give-and-take on the implementing rules and perhaps some flexibility, the industry will be able to make a July 1 entry into force date work.
The Commerce Department eliminated its license exception for civil end-users (CIV) in an effort to cut exports to countries pursuing civil-military fusion (see 1904260018), the agency said in a notice. The change, which was expected for nearly a year (see 1907180037), will remove authorizations to export certain controlled items to most civil end-users for civil end-uses in Country Group D:1. The change takes effect June 29.
The Commerce Department is considering restricting the number of destination countries that are authorized to receive certain U.S. re-exports that are controlled for national security reasons, the agency said in a notice. The proposed rule would amend the license exception for Additional Permissive Reexports (APR) by removing nations in Country Group D:1, including China, from being eligible to receive those re-exports, Commerce said. The rule would remove APR license eligibility from more than 20 countries. Comments are due June 29.
The United Arab Emirates extended the deadline by one month for filing value-added tax returns and paying certain VATs, according to an April 21 KPMG post. The new deadline, May 28, will apply to VAT returns and for payment of VAT owed for the tax period that ended March 31. The original deadline was April 28.
Japan will temporarily suspend “strict monitoring” of “non-critical” food labeling due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Japanese supply chains, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released April 17. The measure aims to ensure Japanese consumers have a “sufficient supply” of food products, the USDA said. Food labeling requirements usually include a list of ingredients, country of origin and nutrition information.
Although the hearing scheduled for input on a Kenya Free Trade deal was canceled, comments continue to come in for what the U.S. trade representative's priorities should be.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a pre-publication notice April 20 that carmakers must submit draft staging plans under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement no later than July 1. Their final plans are due by Aug. 31, the notice said. If USTR approves the plans, companies would have five years instead of three to increase regional content and adjust to other changes in the auto rules of origin. In order to be approved, the companies must show how every model can meet the stricter standards, even if that can't be done within the five-year time frame. Many cars imported from Mexico do not meet the current standards and pay the 2.5% duty. “The petitioner also should identify any North American investments and sourcing, preferably by calendar year and location, which will allow such vehicles to meet the standard USMCA rules,” USTR said.