Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy recently posted a new webpage with information on its scheme to validate compliance with Mexican product standards at the time of entry, said the Latin American Confederation of Customs Brokers (CLAA) in an April 8 circular. Under regulations issued in October, imports subject to some Mexican standards will be denied entry into Mexico beginning June 3, 2019, if they are not accompanied by a certificate of compliance previously entered into an automated system by the third-party certifier, the circular said.
UK Extends Application Deadline for Brexit Training, IT Funding for Brokers, Forwarders and Couriers
The United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs is extending until May 31 the deadline for applications for grants available to fund training and information technology improvements in preparation for the U.K.’s planned withdrawal from the European Union. Available to importers, customs brokers, freight forwarders and couriers that are either established or have a branch in the U.K., the funding “will support customs intermediaries and traders completing customs declarations,” HMRC said. Out of a total $8 million available, $2 million is available to fund up to 50 percent of the cost of training for staff completing customs declarations, another $3 million is available to fund IT improvements related to customs declarations for small and medium intermediaries, and $3 million was invested in training courses that will be available “over the coming months to support customs broker training,” HMRC said.
The Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) issued a circular to its members April 2 clarifying entry documentation for goods withdrawn for consumption from Recintos Fiscalizados Estrategicos (free trade zones) that are not adjacent to Mexican customs, according to a blog post from Mexican law firm Consorcio Juridico Aduanero. Responding to CAAAREM’s request for a legal opinion, Mexican customs told the broker group that two “pedimento” entries must be submitted for such goods, both with code “G9,” one for withdrawal from the FTZ and the other for entry for consumption. The ruling is E/800/02/00/00/00/19-3818-2-87, dated March 29, CAAAREM said.
The Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) recently issued a circular detailing recent changes to the Mexican customs regulations. The Mexican Tax Administration Service published the notice, the fifth such set of changes to the Mexican Foreign Trade Regulations, on March 30. The CAAAREM circular was posted by Mexican law firm Consorcio Juridico Aduanero.
CBP's reallocation of 750 officers from Ports of Entry to Border Patrol is affecting exports from the U.S., according to an April 4 call with CBP officials. According to an emailed write-up of the call from the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, this "deployment will affect outbound as well, as there is far fewer staff overall." The NCBFAA said that "CBP acknowledged that all southwest cargo ports are being impacted" and "the option is available to direct to other ports, but all will see an expected wait time increase."
Livingston International will take part in blockchain pilot involving the Canada Border Services Agency, the company said in an April 3 news release. The pilot will use TradeLens, a "blockchain-enabled digital shipping solution jointly developed" by IBM and A.P. Moller-Maersk, it said. "Livingston will serve as the first customs broker to leverage the TradeLens platform for brokerage automation," the company said. "Livingston's role in the pilot will be to enter and access information on shipments and streamline internal procedures without compromising accuracy or security. The CBSA is participating in the TradeLens pilot to determine what role the platform could play in its business processes."
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will not "reduce the service hours for manually processing import declarations transmitted" through the legacy service options "at this time," the agency said in a March 29 notice to industry about integrated import declarations (IIDs). The decision follows industry concerns raised earlier this year, it said. The legacy service options, Other Government Departments (OGD) pre-arrival review system (PARS), or SO 463, and release on minimum documentation (RMD), or SO 471, were set for decommissioning on April 1, 2019, but CBSA said it will instead begin a phased approach on that date (see 1903280062).
The Canada Border Services Agency plans to again push back the sunset date for legacy release options as part of the Single Window Initiative and Integrated Import Declaration transition, a CBSA spokesman said by email on March 26. Other Government Departments (OGD) service options pre-arrival review system (PARS), or SO 463, and release on minimum documentation (RMD), or SO 471, were set for decommissioning on April 1, 2019, CBSA announced last year. CBSA recently told members of the trade that the sunset date for OGD PARS (SO 463) and OGD RMD (SO 471) will now be in October.
A federal judge sentenced David Levick of Australia to two years in jail as a result of illegally exporting aircraft parts to a company in Iran, the Department of Justice said in a March 21 news release. The sentencing follows a 2012 indictment and extradition from Australia in December 2018. Levick was the general manager of ICM Components in Australia in 2007 and 2008 when he solicited purchase orders from someone representing a trading company in Iran. Levick then placed orders with U.S. companies for aircraft parts and other items that the Iranian person could not have directly purchased from the U.S. without government approval, the DOJ said. "When necessary, Levick used a broker in Tarpon Springs, Florida, through whom orders could be placed for the parts to further conceal the fact that the parts were intended for transshipment" to Iran, it said. "Levick intentionally concealed the ultimate end-use and end-users of the parts from manufacturers, distributors, shippers, and freight forwarders located in the United States and elsewhere. In addition, Levick and others structured their payments between each other for the parts to avoid trade restrictions imposed on Iranian financial institutions by other countries. Levick and ICM wired money to companies located in the United States as payment for the parts."
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control updated its Specially Designated Nationals List while also issuing an updated guide on “addressing North Korea’s illicit shipping practices,” which includes risk mitigation measures and a summary of penalties for violators, according to a March 21 notice. The changes made to OFAC’s SDN list include the additions of three individuals associated with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an update to the SDN listing for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and the addition of two Chinese entities that violated North Korean sanctions regulations. The two Chinese entities are Dalian Haibo International Freight Co. and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co., according to the notice.