Since February 1, 1997, U. S. Customs has intensified its enforcement of its regulations regarding Shipper's Export Declarations (SEDs). Custom is now randomly screening shipments for timely submission of SEDs. Since April 1, 1997, full enforcement has be
en in effect.
In the past, U. S. Custom limited enforcement to fining carriers'
USD $1,000
for each infraction. Currently, any non-compliance will result in penalties, redelivery of freight shipped, or seizures of cargo.
As per U.S. Department of Commerce a SED has to be submitted when the value of the merchandise is USD 2500 and above per schedule B number.
Effective November 1, 2000, for Ocean Freight export shipments the SED's -
Shipper's Export Declaration - must be submitted electronically to
U.S. Census
Bureau and the U.S. Customs.
It is highly recommended that you use AESDirect to submit
electronic filing of SEDs to U.S. Customs via Internet access. Information
on AESDirect is available on the U.S. Census Bureau's website: http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/services.html
or contact the Automated Export System Branch, Foreign Trade Division,
Census Bureau, at (301)457-3539 for further assistance.
After November 1, 2000, if you continue a manual paper process, U.S.
Customs requires an ORIGINAL SED.
IMPORTANT: If the carrier is to process the manual filing
of SEDs with U.S. Customs, a handling charge of USD 100 per
transaction will be assessed for the Export Declaration/Export
License Handling Fee and will be shown on the Bills of Lading.
Failure to submit original SEDs in a timely manner will result in U.S.
Customs penalties which we will forward on to the party responsible for
submission of the SED!
In addition, U.S. Customs Service's Outbound Enforcement Team has advised us to send our outbound booking reports prior to vessel or aircraft departure, to avoid any shipment delay. Any cargo that is on Custom hold will not be loaded on the vessel or airc
raft nor released back to the shipper or exporter without first clearing it with U.S. Customs. Seizures will continue to be made under the program for any violation involving licensable merchandise or prohibition from exportation under any of the embargo
programs enforced by the U.S. Government.
This is to inform you that any penalty assessed against us by the U.S.
Government due to Shippers or Exporters late submission of the SEDs and or
violation of any compliance will cause us to place a lien against the
cargo.
Therefore, to meet the requirements of the U.S. Government, and to avoid penalties, delays and seizures for your cargo, we request all Exporters or Shippers to comply fully with this regulation. Cargo will not be loaded on the carrier without submission o
f SEDs to our office at least five working days prior to vessel or aircraft departure from port of loading.
Please call our office should you have any queries. Thank you for your cooperation.
RIFS with its associates also arranges Import Customs Clearance.
| 1 | There are two types of entries, Formal and In-Formal. Formal Entry is made when the value of goods is equal to or above US$ 1250. However, U.S. Customs sometimes require Formal Entry for items valued less then US$ 1250. |
| 2 | A bond must be filed with customs for all shipments. The bond amount is calculated on the FOB value of the merchandise. If you will have regular imports, we suggest you to get a Continuous Bond. Otherwise you can have a Single Entry Bond. For Textiles and FDA regulated goods the bond is based on three (3) times the FOB value of merchandise. |
| 3 | For all imports a MPF (Merchandise Processing Fee) of 0.21% on FOB Value of goods will be charged and paid to the U.S.Customs. Minimum USD 25.00 and maximum USD 485.00 per shipment, respectively. |
| 4 | For only ocean import a HPF (Harbor Maintenance Fee) of 0.125% on FOB value is charged and paid to Port Authorities. |
| 5 | Plus Customs Brokers clearing fee for services rendered. The fee is based on commodity, number of items per invoice and generally on the extent of service provided. |
| 6 | If required we also provide cargo insurance. Rate is based on commodity, country of import, mode of shipment and insured amount. |
| 7 | All other charges are at cost such as duty, freight charges payable to carrier and trucking cost to deliver goods in USA. |
| 8 | All invoices must be paid in full upon receipt within seven days without any exception otherwise a compound interest fee of 2% per month on balance amount due will be charged. |
| 9 | To commence the process, Consignee/Importer of goods must provide the original copy of Power of Attorney and a duly completed credit application. |
| 10 | Provide Original Bills of Lading, Commercial Invoice and Packing List. For Garments, we also need Visa and Quota Certificate. For air shipments, provide Air Way Bill copy or number |