U.S. Customs and Border Protection February 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to reflect an extension of import restrictions on certain categories of archaeological and ethnological materials of Libya. The Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State, has made the requisite determinations for extending the import restrictions and no cause for suspension exists. The restrictions, originally imposed by CBP Decision (CBP Dec.) 18-07, will be extended for an additional five-year period, through February 23, 2028, and the CBP regulations are being amended to reflect this extension. The Designated List of archaeological and ethnological material of Libya to which the restrictions apply is reproduced below with a statement clarifying that ethnological material on the Designated List excludes Jewish ceremonial and ritual objects.

This document announces that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to conduct a voluntary test in which participating commercial airlines and vessels use CBP's Traveler Verification Service (TVS) facial comparison service to comply with certain regulatory requirements regarding the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS). CBP regulations currently require an appropriate official of commercial aircraft and commercial vessels (collectively ``carriers'') to submit electronic manifests to CBP listing crew, non-crew, and passenger (collectively ``travelers'') information upon arrival and departure of aircraft and vessels. The carrier is required to compare the travel documents presented by the travelers with the information the carrier submits to CBP to, among other things, ensure that the information is correct and that each traveler is the person to whom the travel document was issued. Additionally, the carrier is required to ensure that the travel document presented is valid for travel to the United States. Participation in this pilot does not remove this requirement for carriers. During this test, participating carriers will use the existing TVS facial comparison service to ensure the manifest information transmitted to CBP is correct and to perform the required identity verification. The use of TVS technology for APIS verification purposes has the potential to speed up the departure process for both carriers and travelers, as it enables travelers to be matched more efficiently to their travel documents. This notice provides a description of the test, sets forth requirements for participation, and invites public comment on any aspect of the test.

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 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 of 1995 (PRA). The information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

On January 28, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with the approval of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, issued a Finding that certain palm oil and derivative products made wholly or in part with palm oil produced by Sime Darby Plantation Berhad, its subsidiaries, and joint ventures, were being produced with the use of forced labor, and were being, or were likely to be, imported into the United States. CBP has now determined, based upon additional information, that such merchandise is no longer being produced with the use of forced labor in violation of section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.