The United States has entered into free trade agreements (FTAs) with 20 countries to encourage trade by providing reduced tariffs or eliminating them altogether. To qualify for an FTA, the goods must be grown or mined in one of the partner countries, or the goods must satisfy the rules of origin set out in the FTA. Most FTAs have three to five criteria that can be used to qualify your goods. When creating your international paperwork, you will need to provide a certificate of origin that specifies the criteria used to qualify for the FTA ..read more

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The value of an Export Compliance Program (ECP) has been well documented in this previous Passages post. Exporters, what has prevented you from implementing an Export Compliance Program ..read more

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With an average of almost $350 million in commercial transactions taking place every day, France is the world’s seventh-largest economy and Europe’s third-largest economy after Germany and the UK. France’s stable business climate attracts investors from around the world; the French government makes doing business relatively easy by devoting significant resources to supporting foreign investment through policy, good marketing, overseas trade promotion offices and investor support mechanisms ..read more

Expanding your business internationally presents exciting opportunities, but the complexities of exporting can feel overwhelming. Have you ever wondered, as an exporter, how your way of doing business compares to others?  ..read more

Once you have determined that your product originates and qualifies for a free trade agreement (FTA), you will need to certify and document that qualification. This is one of the last steps in the process of claiming preferential treatment under an FTA. In previous articles, we explained the other steps: determining tariff rates, reading rules of origin and using the three primary methods of qualification.   ..read more

U.S. exports to new free trade agreement (FTA) partner countries have grown roughly three times as rapidly on average in the five years following the agreement’s entry into force as the global rate of growth for U.S. exports, according to U.S. Chamber of Commerce research. But despite the benefits, why do 70% of companies NOT fully take advantage of FTAs? Many point to the complexity of the qualification process ..read more

Most traders are familiar with the Appraisement Hierarchy for goods imported into the United States. In the event of disputes with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about customs valuation, the importer should consult with their customs broker for assistance using well-established procedures. (If you would like to refresh your memory on how to apply the Appraisement Hierarchy, read my article How to Determine Value for U.S. Customs.) Exporters face a more complex problem if customs services in destination countries dispute their valuation. Duties and taxes are based on the HTS code, co ..read more

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