QUESTION: Does anyone have a basic Trade Compliance Manual template they can share? No SPIs, no duty drawback, no FTAs. How many sections? What level of detail should it get into? How many pages should this be? ========== Answers: My suggestion is you download and work thru the Export Compliance Program (ECP) offered by BIS. […]
QUESTION: If a company does not have an import-export (trade compliance) manuals what are the consequences with CBP and BIS? Are there penalties? Do I need to emphasize with management the need and/or requirement for these documents? Are corporate manuals and SOPs with brokers and freight forwarders mandatory? ************** Answers:No, they are not “mandatory”, and […]
QUESTION: Has anyone created a classification guide/catalog for their company that groups products under certain HTS codes? More than just following up with GRI’s or rulings for each part number, a tool that can enable new products that fall under a certain category to be classified together. Also if you have a recordkeeping process when […]
QUESTION: While conducting an audit I found that another division used the incorrect tariff code for an entry. If I ask their broker to submit a PSC, is that customs business? This division only has 2-3 imports per year so they will not know how to prepare the explanation of why the tariff code is […]
QUESTION: My company didn’t know where to place my new role so I’m part of Procurement. This dept. is meeting every 2 weeks to talk about our roles and how much savings we bring to the company. I’ve never had to deal with this as my role hasn’t always produced savings other than looking at […]
QUESTION: Our company just created a Trade compliance department. On the import side of things, what would be the 5 main import items/subjects you would focus on so that the multiple divisions we deal with start understanding the risks in importing? ISF, HTS..? We are looking for your feedback %%%%%%%%%% ANSWERS: I suggest following Customs […]
QUESTION: In the case that your US Trade Compliance role has responsibility for global compliance how do you keep track of the legal requirements? Do you maintain the Customs Code for every region/country? How do you know the recordkeeping requirements, the country of origin requirements, FTA requirements etc for each country? However, in many cases, […]
QUESTION: Does anyone in the group have ‘quick hit’ references guides or ‘one pagers’ that outline key import compliance areas? For instance, there could be one pagers that outline classification/valuation/NAFTA/Related Parties/etc. We are looking to supplement our import compliance manual with these for easy reference and employee training. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. %%%%%%%%%% ANSWER: […]
QUESTION: Does anyone in the membership have the basic template for an import compliance manual? Specifically I’m looking for subjects to cover and order. I have an older format, but I’m looking for the very latest, up to date recommendations. ========== Answers: Check CBPs web link to its ISA program. You can actually find not […]
QUESTION: At my 2 previous companies I was the global GTC director, and while I did not have direct reports, there were persons in the foreign locations doing trade compliance. Since I was corporate we would have GTC monthly calls in each of my regions. A good model like in any good GTC company. However, […]
QUESTION: I am looking for time studies of various Compliance functions. For example, on average, how long does it take to classify a product in the HTS? I realize that when you are classifying items, some will be very easy, but some are very complex, and will require a lot of time. If anyone has […]
QUESTION: A vendor asked us if it was okay to invoice us in euro. I replied that invoicing in USD is preferred from a trade compliance standpoint because it improves the chances of the accuracy of the USD amount we claim at the time of entry. I explained the process of identifying the date […]