BROKER A.N. DERINGER BECOMES FIRST NATIONAL PERMIT HOLDER

BROKER A.N. DERINGER BECOMES FIRST NATIONAL PERMIT HOLDER    A.N. Deringer made industry history Thursday night by becoming the first customs broker to receive a national permit from U.S. Customs.
   The national permit, which allow brokers to conduct specific types of customs business nationwide, is one of the biggest changes in Customs’ new broker regulations. The rules became effective April 14.
   Customs Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly presented the permit to Jacob Holzscheiter, vice president of customs for the 80-year-old St. Albans, Vt.-based broker.
   “It’s part of the changing environment at Customs,” Kelly said. “We want to do business the way business does business.”
   Another 22 national permits will be mailed to brokers today. Brokers of all sizes are eligible to join the program, said Anne K. Lombardi, director of commercial compliance at Customs .
   To qualify for a national permit, a broker must hold at least one district permit. The broker must also file an application with Customs headquarters in Washington. On the application, brokers must provide their license number and issuance date of their district permit; the office which will oversee the national permit operations; and the name of the person who will supervise national permit operations. The agency requires payment of $100 for the permit application and $125 for annual national permit user fees.
   National permits allow brokers to conduct the following customs business:
   * Place employees at client facilities in districts where the broker may not hold a district permit.
   * File electronic drawback claims at a designated drawback office in a location where the broker does not hold a district permit.
   * Participate in any operational aspect of the National Customs Automation Program.
   * Perform post-entry summary work for clients in broker districts in which they do not hold a district permit.
   Although national permits are part of the 1993 Customs Modernization Act, the agency began to seriously develop the program with the brokers two years ago. But the benefits of national permits won’t be fully realized until Customs implements its new computer system, the Automated Commercial Environment, Kelly said.