The customs broker industry is on the frontlines of ensuring imports are cleared through US ports of entry in a timely and compliant manner with government regulations on behalf of most of the nation’s importers. It is an amazing responsibility, which licensed customs brokers take seriously and deliver with utmost professionalism.
Since US customs brokers must be licensed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to clear legitimate imported goods into the country, the industry appreciates the strong relationship that it has with CBP and other partner government agencies (PGAs) with trade oversight. The customs broker industry, however, continuously requires clarity from CBP and PGAs whenever new trade directives are issued by the government.
On behalf of US importers, the customs broker industry and its software providers require — now more than ever — detailed direction and technical implementation guidance from CBP for every tariff change from the White House as soon as possible to properly program, test and implement to ensure trade continues to flow in a compliant manner.
There are numerous small corners in the trade world, like the “other; other” basket provisions of some Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes, which require more time than most to develop the proper disclaim codes or extra coding for an explanation, or some other special need. Allowing extra time to prepare for this type of systemic implementation prior to the actual regulatory rollout gives customs brokers, as well as their software providers and import clients, the bandwidth to facilitate compliance with those mandatory guidelines out the gate.
Time and clarity, along with the ability to partner with CBP and PGAs on technical follow-up, ensures customs brokers fully understand and comply with the spirit and letter of the nation’s trade policies.