International TradeNewsletter - October 30, 2002
In this Issue...
U.S. Customs Service
October 30, 2002
- The official public version of the Broker Management
Handbook is now available on the Customs Web site,
http://www.customs.gov. Click
on Importing/Exporting, then click on What's New. In a few weeks, the handbook
will move over to the Broker Management Area of the site. It is in PDF format
and can be downloaded from the Web. The Customs Service has no hard copies of
this handbook available for public use, and the public is being asked not to
call the agency to for one. The Web site copy is the only Customs-authorized
source for this handbook. Other than three chapters relating to internal
Customs procedures and operations that have been removed from the Web version,
the handbook is identical to those issued for Customs field officer use.
- The U.S. Customs Service has announced that the agency has
eliminated the backlog of ruling requests, and that new ruling requests will be
processed in less than 90 days. U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner
said that since February 1, 2002, the Office of Rulings and Regulations (OR&R)
has issued more than 1000 rulings covering nearly all aspects of the customs
laws including classification, valuation, special trade programs, country of
origin and drawback. Under the Customs Binding Rulings Program, the importing
public can request a written ruling or advice on a range of issues. These
include proper tariff classification, country of origin marking, eligibility for
duty drawback, valuation, merchandise entry requirements and a host of
transportation-related matters. Complex and difficult rulings on an importer's
product are sent to OR&R at Customs headquarters for the agency's interpretation
of customs laws and regulations.