19 CFR 181.22 – Maintenance of records and submission of Certificate by importer
(a) Maintenance of records. Each importer claiming preferential tariff treatment for a good imported into the United States shall maintain in the United States, for five years after the date of entry of the good, all documentation relating to the importation of the good. Such documentation shall include a copy of the Certificate of Origin and any other relevant records as specified in § 163.1(a) of this chapter.
Terms Used In 19 CFR 181.22
- CBP: means U. See 19 CFR 101.1
- Center director: means the person who manages their designated Center and is responsible for certain trade decisions and functions concerning that Center and the importers that are processed by that Center. See 19 CFR 101.1
- Country: means the political entity known as a nation. See 19 CFR 134.1
- Importer: means the person primarily liable for the payment of any duties on the merchandise, or an authorized agent acting on his behalf. See 19 CFR 101.1
- NAFTA: means the North American Free Trade Agreement entered into by the United States, Canada and Mexico on August 13, 1992. See 19 CFR 134.1
- port director: means the person who has jurisdiction within the geographical boundaries of their port of entry unless the regulations provide that particular trade functions or determinations are exclusively within the purview of a Center Director or other CBP personnel. See 19 CFR 101.1
- Shipment: means the merchandise described on the bill of lading or other document used to file or support entry, or in the oral declaration when applicable. See 19 CFR 101.1
- United States: includes all territories and possessions of the United States, except the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Wake Island, Midway Islands, Kingman Reef, Johnston Island, and the island of Guam. See 19 CFR 134.1
(b) Submission of Certificate. An importer who claims preferential tariff treatment on a good under § 181.21 of this part shall provide, at the request of the Center director, a copy of each Certificate of Origin pertaining to the good which is in the possession of the importer. A Certificate of Origin submitted to CBP under this paragraph or under § 181.32(b)(3) of this part:
(1) Shall be on CBP Form 434, or its electronic equivalent including privately-printed copies thereof, or on such other form as approved by the Canadian or Mexican customs administration, or, as an alternative to CBP Form 434 or such other approved form, in an approved computerized format or such other medium or format as is approved by the Office of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC 20229. An alternative format must contain the same information and certification set forth on CBP Form 434;
(2) Shall be signed by the exporter or by the exporter’s authorized agent having knowledge of the relevant facts;
(3) Shall be completed either in the English language or in the language of the country from which the good is exported. If the Certificate is completed in a language other than English, the importer shall also provide to the Center director, upon request, a written English translation thereof;
(4) Shall be accepted by CBP for four years after the date on which the Certificate was signed by the exporter or producer; and
(5) May be applicable to:
(i) A single importation of a good into the United States, including a single shipment that results in the filing of one or more entries and a series of shipments that results in the filing of one entry; or
(ii) Multiple importations of identical goods into the United States that occur within a specified period, not exceeding 12 months, set out therein by the exporter or producer.
(c) Acceptance of Certificate. A Certificate of Origin shall be accepted by the Center director as valid for the purpose set forth in § 181.11(a) of this part, provided that the Certificate is completed, signed and dated in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. If the Center director determines that a Certificate is illegible or defective or has not been completed in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, the importer shall be given a period of not less than five working days to submit a corrected Certificate. Acceptance of a Certificate will result in the granting of preferential tariff treatment to the imported good unless, in connection with an origin verification initiated under subpart G of this part or based on a pattern of conduct within the meaning of § 181.76(c) of this part, the Center director determines that the imported good does not qualify as an originating good or should not be accorded such treatment for any other reason as specifically provided for elsewhere in this part. A Certificate shall not be accepted in connection with subsequent importations during a period referred to in paragraph (b)(5)(ii) of this section if, based on an origin verification under subpart G of this part, the Center director determined that a previously imported identical good covered by the Certificate did not qualify as an originating good.
(d) Certificate not required—(1) General. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, an importer shall not be required to have a Certificate of Origin in his possession for:
(i) An importation of a good for which the port director or Center director before January 19, 2017, or the Center director on or after January 19, 2017, has in writing waived the requirement for a Certificate of Origin because the port director or Center director is otherwise satisfied that the good qualifies for preferential tariff treatment under the NAFTA;
(ii) A non-commercial importation of a good; or
(iii) A commercial importation for which the total value of originating goods does not exceed US$2,500, provided that, unless waived by the Center director, the producer, exporter, importer or authorized agent includes on, or attaches to, the invoice or other document accompanying the shipment the following signed statement:
I hereby certify that the good covered by this shipment qualifies as an originating good for purposes of preferential tariff treatment under the NAFTA.
(2) Exception. If the Center director determines that an importation described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section forms part of a series of importations that may reasonably be considered to have been undertaken or arranged for the purpose of avoiding a certification requirement set forth in this part, the Center director shall notify the importer in writing that for that importation the importer must have in his possession a valid Certificate of Origin to support the claim for preferential tariff treatment. The importer shall have 30 calendar days from the date of the written notice to obtain a valid Certificate, and a failure to timely obtain the Certificate will result in denial of the claim for preferential tariff treatment. For purposes of paragraph (d)(2) of this section, a “series of importations” means two or more entries covering goods arriving on the same day from the same exporter and consigned to the same person.