The landscape of compliance, while normally complex enough, is a moving target in a world of international sanctions, tariffs, and changing export regulations managed by a dozen different government agencies.
For these and other reasons many companies consider this “the cost of doing business” and simply plan for it in their budgets. Yet these duties can represent up to double-digit percentages of product value, seriously impairing the bottom line and their competitiveness in the marketplace.
Maintain a clean and well-documented history – know all of the import transactions that cost you duty for products you subsequently exported or destroyed. This data must include the specific import entry data fields required: fields you may not have even have available in your company’s ERP system. This means you will have to go to the hard copies or sometimes a third-party database.
Provide a periodic demonstration of your company processes related to supply chain management. This gives Customs confidence that the export/disposal data really represent the original imported goods. Remember – you likely export product codes that do not match what you imported, and you must show that the export/disposal occurred within the legislated time frame allowed, after importation.
Make sure you use the mandated U.S. Customs forms and templates, even if you think yours are better.
