CBP eliminates textile declaration

CBP eliminates textile declaration    U.S. Customs and Border Protection no longer requires textile and apparel importers to file a document known familiarly as the 'textile declaration.'
   Effective Oct. 5, the Textile Single and Multiple Country of Origin Declarations have been eliminated for entries of textiles from all countries, including those subject to safeguards, quota or visa requirements.
   In place of the 'textile declaration,' CBP now requires that importers of textile and apparel products construct a valid manufacturer's identification code (MID), based upon the name and address of the manufacturer performing the operation of that confers origin on the textile and apparel product.
   The MID must now be used on all entry documents, and in all electronic transmissions.
   'This change imposes new obligations on the importer to exercise reasonable care to insure the correctness of the MID code where the textile or apparel is made in several countries,' said San Francisco-based attorney George R. Tuttle.
   For products with a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) preferential claim involving non-originating textile or apparel products subject to tariff preference levels, a certificate of eligibility completed and signed by an authorized official of the Canadian or Mexican governments must be presented to CBP.
   If a port director is unable to determine the country of origin for an apparel or tariff import, the preferential tariff treatment or any other benefit under NAFTA will be denied.
   The public comment period closes Dec. 5. For more information about this interim proposed rule, access the Federal Register at http://frwebgate2.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=12281071016+6+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve .