U.S. Customs and Border Protection August 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') published in the Federal Register of August 17, 2011, a final rule concerning the discontinuation of electronic courtesy notices of liquidation to importers of record whose entry summaries are filed in the Automated Broker Interface (``ABI''). In the preamble of the final rule document, CBP made a misstatement in a comment response regarding the availability to an importer of an Importer Trade Activity (ITRAC) reporta historical report on all of an importer's importation activity over a set time period. CBP incorrectly stated that C-TPAT members may receive ITRAC reports for free. This document corrects the August 17, 2011 document to reflect that the Importer Self-Assessment (``ISA'') members, rather than C-TPAT members, receive free ITRAC reports.

This document proposes to amend the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations pertaining to the filing of documentation related to free entry of certain merchandise under Chapter 98 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). The proposed amendment would permit an applicant to file the documentation required for duty-free treatment of certain visual and auditory materials of an educational, scientific, or cultural character under subheading 9817.00.40, HTSUS, at any time prior to the liquidation of the entry. The regulation currently requires the filing of this documentation within 90 days of the date of entry. The proposed change would provide more time for the importer to provide the necessary certification documentation to CBP and would serve to align the filing of required certification documentation with a change in CBP policy that extended the liquidation cycle for entries in the ordinary course of business from 90 days to 314 days after the date of entry. The change is consistent with other regulations that govern the duty-free treatment of merchandise under Chapter 98, HTSUS.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13, Saybolt, LP, Road 127 KM 13.4 Bo. Magas Arriba, P.R., has been approved to gauge and test petroleum and petroleum products for customs purposes, in accordance with the provisions of 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13. Anyone wishing to employ this entity to conduct laboratory analyses and gauger services should request and receive written assurances from the entity that it is accredited or approved by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct the specific test or gauger service requested. Alternatively, inquiries regarding the specific test or gauger service this entity is accredited or approved to perform may be directed to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling (202) 344-1060. The inquiry may also be sent to cbp.labhq@dhs.gov. Please reference the Web site listed below for a complete listing of CBP approved gaugers and accredited laboratories. https://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/operationssupport/labsscientifi c svcs/commercialgaugers/.

This document provides notice that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') has issued a final determination concerning the country of origin of certain digital projectors. Based upon the facts presented, CBP has concluded that the assembly and programming operations performed in Taiwan substantially transform the non-TAA country components of the projectors. Therefore, the country of origin of the projectors is Taiwan for purposes of U.S. government procurement.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act: Crewman's Landing Permit (CBP Form I-95). This is a proposed extension of an information collection that was previously approved. CBP is proposing that this information collection be extended with no change to the burden hours. This document is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register (76 FR 31353) on May 31, 2011, allowing for a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

This document provides notice that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') has issued a final determination concerning the country of origin of satellite telephones. We were asked to consider six scenarios. Based upon the facts presented, CBP has concluded in the final determination that the application board and transceiver board together convey the essential character of the phones and it is at their assembly and programming where the last substantial transformation occurs. Therefore, when the boards are assembled and programmed in Malaysia, the country of origin of the phones for purposes of U.S. government procurement is Malaysia. When the boards are assembled and programmed in Singapore, the country of origin of the phones for purposes of U.S. government procurement is Singapore.