On March 23, 2016, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a guidance announcing that the final six Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEEs) started handling the post-release operations for their respective industries. In addition to announcing the final six CEEs, the notice also provides clarification on the authority of Center Directors versus that of a Port Director. According to the CBP guidance, “Port Directors and Center Directors will communicate and collaborate to issue informed and consistent determinations and decisions effectively.” Further clarifications and exceptions are identified in the text of the notice.
The final industry CEEs include:
- Agriculture and Prepared Products
- Automotive and Aerospace
- Base Metals
- Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising
- Industrial and Manufacturing Materials
- Machinery
The above mentioned CEEs join four others – Apparel, Footwear and Textiles, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals, and Petroleum and Minerals – that already handle the post-release processing for their respective industries.
The guidance provided by CBP on March 23, 2016, closely follows the agency’s initial delegation order in 2014 regarding the first three CEEs (here). Please address any questions or concerns to Deringer’s Compliance Department.
