Here is a summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 28 issued an update to its Jan. 27 message to the trade providing guidance on new Section 301 modifications made to certain classifications within the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).

Customs Brokers may be liable for charges under current practices by ocean carriers naming them as “merchant” as listed in terms and conditions of their master bills of lading. The carriers’ intention by use of a broad definition of merchant casts a wide net over multiple parties they can hold responsible for charges related to the bill of lading.

The immediate impact to freight forwarders is that the sanctions to Belarus have been extended to also include most controlled items effective with shipments on March 3. The most immediate impact to AES filers is that now all products with an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) in categories 3-9 (meaning those that begin with 3-9 (example 8A992) now require licenses if they are ultimately destined to Belarus as well as Russia. This applies even if goods are going to a different country, but we know that they are ultimately destined to Russia. If you report these ECCNs to AES, we anticipate that they will result in an AES Response “66Q” Compliance Alert soon, like what we see for Russia. BIS is in the process of updating this AES response message to include Belarus and will advise NCBFAA once that has been completed. This will be an additional indicator that these shipments CANNOT MOVE, but for now you it will be up to you to identify the shipments without benefit of an AES response message.

In response to Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has expanded sanctions against Russia by adding a new prohibition under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) that targets the country’s oil refinery industry.

While the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force has taken steps to address the nation’s problem with seaport congestion, NCBFAA has asked the task force to not exclude air freight from that effort

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome the following members who have recently joined our association:

Customs and Border Protection reminded the trade about the transition to upgraded versions of certain data universes in ACE Reports on March 17. These upgraded data universes all currently have the suffix of “New” in their name to make them easily identifiable.

NCBFAA on March 22 marked its 125th Anniversary as a trade association that continuously serves the interests of our members with unwavering determination and pursues a path forward that ensures a vibrant and prosperous future for our nation’s customs brokers, freight forwarders and NVOCCs.

Every customs broker knows that interacting with Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) can be the most challenging part of their job. The PGA data requirements are often demanding. And, on top of that, there are just so many agencies!

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), effective July 1, revoked the Syria Sanctions as authorized in Executive Order (EO) 14312.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.

A summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome 7 Star Logistics Solutions, Farris Customs Brokers, Infinito Global Trade Network, and Karl Gross Logistics (USA), which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can!

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), effective July 1, revoked the Syria Sanctions as authorized in Executive Order (EO) 14312.

FIATA’s new Best Practice Guide on Maritime Contracting helps freight forwarders navigate this landscape by clarifying the implications of acting under different capacities when engaging with ocean carriers.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.