The United States offers a number of special duty reduction programs for products that originate from certain countries. Each of the programs requires that the good originate from beneficiary country. If the good was imported into the beneficiary country then the material must be “transformed” by a process or manufactured into a product of that country. Transformation is where things get a bit gray, contact an expert to determine if and how a good can be transformed.
Value Requirements:
The amount of value to be added consists of:
1. the materials produced in the beneficiary country
2. the direct costs of processing operations performed in the beneficiary country
Documents Required:
Most duty reduction programs require a certificate of origin and basis for qualifying under the program. It must be filed with each entry of goods into the U.S.
Some examples of Duty Free Reduction Programs:
The U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement
The U.S.-Israel Free Trade Area Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement
Happy Importing 🙂
