According to Stein Shostak Shostak Pollack & O Hara, LLP Shanghai Representative Office Lawyer Li Xinyu, who is engaged in the US customs law, US Customs recently introduces a new section under "Textile and Quotas" on its official website, entitled "Are My Good Subject to Quota?" to help importers to handle complex import quotas problems correctly.
U.S. Customs shows on the new website that whether a shipment is subject to quota requirements is determined by several key factors, namely customs classification (based on merchandise description), textile category number (visa category), US Harmonized Tariff Schedule chapter note (for agricultural products), and country of origin (where the goods were grown, produced, or manufactured).
United States Customs suggests to determine the HTS number (classification) of the goods by contacting an Import Specialist at a CBP port of entry; requesting a binding ruling from the Office of Regulations and Rulings, National Commodity Specialist Division; querying the Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) for binding rulings previously issued for similar merchandise; reviewing the Harmonized Tariff Schedule etc..
At present, textiles imported from China, Vietnam, Russia, and Ukraine are under the absolute quota or permit restriction. The website also provides links to Textile Status Report for Absolute Quotas , U.S Textile and Apparel Category System , and Commodity Status Report for Tariff Rate Quotas and so on. Some information which have great impacts on US textile import, such as FTA and special trade program also have links and introductions on the website.
The new website is a very useful tool for foreign textile exporters and American importers.
"Are My Good Subject to Quota?" Web link is as follows :
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/quota_restrict.xml
