[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 19, Volume 1]

[Revised as of April 1, 2005]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 19CFR10.199]



[Page 168-171]

 

                        TITLE 19--CUSTOMS DUTIES

 

   CHAPTER I--BUREAU OF CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF 

              HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

 

PART 10_ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC.

--Table of Contents

 

                  Subpart B_Caribbean Basin Initiative

 

Sec.  10.199  Duty-free entry for certain beverages produced in Canada 

from Caribbean rum.



    (a) General. A spirituous beverage that is imported directly from 

the territory of Canada and that is classifiable under subheading 

2208.40 or 2208.90, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 

(HTSUS), will be entitled, upon entry or withdrawal from warehouse for 

consumption, to duty-free treatment under section 213(a)(6) of the 

Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703(a)(6)), also known 

as the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), if the spirituous beverage has 

been produced in the territory of Canada from rum, provided that the 

rum:

    (1) Is the growth, product, or manufacture either of a beneficiary 

country or of the U.S. Virgin Islands;

    (2) Was imported directly into the territory of Canada from a 

beneficiary country or from the U.S. Virgin Islands; and

    (3) Accounts for at least 90 percent of the alcoholic content by 

volume of the spirituous beverage.

    (b) Claim for exemption from duty under CBI. A claim for an 

exemption from duty for a spirituous beverage under section 213(a)(6) of 

the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703(a)(6)) may be 

made by entering such beverage under subheading 9817.22.05, HTSUS, on 

the entry summary document or its electronic equivalent. In order to 

claim the exemption, the importer must have the records described in 

paragraphs (d), (e), (f) and (g) of this section so that, upon Customs 

request, the importer can establish that:

    (1) The rum used to produce the beverage is the growth, product or 

manufacture either of a beneficiary country or of the U.S. Virgin 

Islands;

    (2) The rum was shipped directly from a beneficiary country or from 

the U.S. Virgin Islands to Canada;

    (3) The beverage was produced in Canada;



[[Page 169]]



    (4) The rum accounts for at least 90% of the alcohol content of the 

beverage; and

    (5) The beverage was shipped directly from Canada to the United 

States.

    (c) Imported directly. For a spirituous beverage imported from 

Canada to qualify for duty-free entry under the CBI, the spirituous 

beverage must be imported directly into the customs territory of the 

United States from Canada; and the rum used in its production must have 

been imported directly into the territory of Canada either from a 

beneficiary country or from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

    (1) ``Imported directly'' into the customs territory of the United 

States from Canada means:

    (i) Direct shipment from the territory of Canada to the U.S. without 

passing through the territory of any other country; or

    (ii) If the shipment is from the territory of Canada to the U.S. 

through the territory of any other country, the spirituous beverages do 

not enter into the commerce of any other country while en route to the 

U.S.; or

    (iii) If the shipment is from the territory of Canada to the U.S. 

through the territory of another country, and the invoices and other 

documents do not show the U.S. as the final destination, the spirituous 

beverages in the shipment are imported directly only if they:

    (A) Remained under the control of the customs authority of the 

intermediate country;

    (B) Did not enter into the commerce of the intermediate country 

except for the purpose of sale other than at retail, and the port 

director is satisfied that the importation results from the original 

commercial transaction between the importer and the producer or the 

latter's sales agent; and

    (C) Were not subjected to operations other than loading and 

unloading, and other activities necessary to preserve the products in 

good condition.

    (2) ``Imported directly'' from a beneficiary country or from the 

U.S. Virgin Islands into the territory of Canada means:

    (i) Direct shipment from a beneficiary country or from the U.S. 

Virgin Islands into the territory of Canada without passing through the 

territory of any non-beneficiary country; or

    (ii) If the shipment is from a beneficiary country or from the U.S. 

Virgin Islands into the territory of Canada through the territory of any 

non-beneficiary country, the rum does not enter into the commerce of any 

non-beneficiary country while en route to Canada; or

    (iii) If the shipment is from a beneficiary country or from the U.S. 

Virgin Islands into the territory of Canada through the territory of any 

non-beneficiary country, the rum in the shipment is imported directly 

into the territory of Canada only if it:

    (A) Remained under the control of the customs authority of the 

intermediate country;

    (B) Did not enter into the commerce of the intermediate country 

except for the purpose of sale other than at retail; and

    (C) Was not subjected to operations in the intermediate country 

other than loading and unloading, and other activities necessary to 

preserve the product in good condition.

    (d) Evidence of direct shipment--(1) Spirituous beverages imported 

from Canada. The importer must be prepared to provide to the port 

director, if requested, documentary evidence that the spirituous 

beverages were imported directly from the territory of Canada, as 

described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. This evidence may include 

documents such as a bill of lading, invoice, air waybill, freight 

waybill, or cargo manifest. Any evidence of the direct shipment of these 

spirituous beverages from Canada into the U.S. may be subject to such 

verification as deemed necessary by the port director.

    (2) Rum imported into Canada from beneficiary country or U.S. Virgin 

Islands. The importer must be prepared to provide to the port director, 

if requested, evidence that the rum used in producing the spirituous 

beverages was imported directly into the territory of Canada from a 

beneficiary country or from the U.S. Virgin Islands, as described in 

paragraph (c)(2) of this section. This evidence may include documents 

such as a Canadian customs entry, Canadian customs invoice, Canadian 

customs manifest, cargo manifest,



[[Page 170]]



bill of lading, landing certificate, airway bill, or freight waybill. 

Any evidence of the direct shipment of the rum from a beneficiary 

country or from the U.S. Virgin Islands into the territory of Canada for 

use there in producing the spirituous beverages may be subject to such 

verification as deemed necessary by the port director.

    (e) Origin of rum used in production of the spirituous beverage--(1) 

Origin criteria. In order for a spirituous beverage covered by this 

section to be entitled to duty-free entry under the CBI, the rum used in 

producing the spirituous beverage in the territory of Canada must be 

wholly the growth, product, or manufacture either of a beneficiary 

country under the CBI or of the U.S. Virgin Islands, or must constitute 

a new or different article of commerce that was produced or manufactured 

in a beneficiary country or in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Such rum will 

not be considered to have been grown, produced, or manufactured in a 

beneficiary country or in the U.S. Virgin Islands by virtue of having 

merely undergone blending, combining or packaging operations, or mere 

dilution with water or mere dilution with another substance that does 

not materially alter the characteristics of the product.

    (2) Evidence of origin of rum--(i) Declaration. The importer must be 

prepared to submit directly to the port director, if requested, a 

declaration prepared and signed by the person who produced or 

manufactured the rum, affirming that the rum is the growth, product or 

manufacture of a beneficiary country or of the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

While no particular form is prescribed for the declaration, it must 

include all pertinent information concerning the processing operations 

by which the rum was produced or manufactured, the address of the 

producer or manufacturer, the title of the party signing the 

declaration, and the date it is signed.

    (ii) Records supporting declaration. The supporting records, 

including those production records, that are necessary for the 

preparation of the declaration must also be available for submission to 

the port director if requested. The declaration and any supporting 

evidence as to the origin of the rum may be subject to such verification 

as deemed necessary by the port director.

    (f) Canadian processor declaration; supporting documentation--(1) 

Canadian processor declaration. The importer must be prepared to submit 

directly to the port director, if requested, a declaration prepared by 

the person who produced the spirituous beverage(s) in Canada, setting 

forth all pertinent information concerning the production of the 

beverages. The declaration will be in substantially the following form:



    I, -------- declare that the spirituous beverages here specified are 

the products that were produced by me (us), as described below, with the 

use of rum that was received by me (us); that the rum used in producing 

the beverages was received by me (us) on

    -------- (date), from -------- (name and address of owner or 

exporter in the beneficiary country or in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as 

applicable); and that such rum accounts for at least 90 percent of the 

alcoholic content by volume, as shown below, of each spirituous beverage 

so produced.





------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                             Alcoholic

                                                            content of

                                       Description of        products;

         Marks and numbers             products and of       alcoholic

                                         processing         content (%)

                                                           attributable

                                                            to rum \1\

------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                    ....................  ..............

                                    ....................  ..............

                                    ....................  ..............

------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\ The production records must establish, for each lot of beverage

  produced, the quantity of rum the growth, product or manufacture of a

  CBI beneficiary country or of the U.S. Virgin Islands under 19 U.S.C.

  2703(a)(6) that is used in producing the finished beverage; the

  alcoholic content by volume of the finished beverage; and the

  alcoholic content by volume of the finished beverage, expressed as a

  percentage, that is attributable to the qualifying rum. If rum from

  two or more qualifying sources (e.g., rum the growth, product or

  manufacture of a CBI beneficiary country or of the U.S. Virgin Islands

  and other rum the growth, product or manufacture of another CBI

  country) are used in processing the beverage, the alcoholic content

  requirement may be met by aggregating the alcoholic content of the

  finished beverage that is attributable to rum from each of the

  qualifying sources used in processing the finished beverage, as

  reflected in the production records.





Date____________________________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________

Signature_______________________________________________________________

Title___________________________________________________________________



    (2) Availability of supporting documents. The information, including 

any supporting documents and records, necessary for the preparation of 

the declaration, as described in paragraph (f)(1) of this section, must 

be available for submission to the port director, if requested. The 

declaration and any supporting evidence may be subject to



[[Page 171]]



such verification as deemed necessary by the port director. The specific 

documentary evidence necessary to support the declaration consists of 

those documents and records which satisfactorily establish:

    (i) The receipt of the rum by the Canadian processor, including the 

date of receipt and the name and address of the party from whom the rum 

was received (the owner or exporter in the beneficiary country or the 

U.S. Virgin Islands); and

    (ii) For each lot of beverage produced and included in the 

declaration, the specific identification of the production lot(s) 

involved; the quantity of qualifying rum that is used in producing the 

finished beverage, including a description of the processing and of the 

finished products; the alcoholic content by volume of the finished 

beverage; and the alcoholic content by volume of the finished beverage, 

expressed as a percentage, that is attributable to the qualifying rum.

    (g) Importer system for review of necessary recordkeeping. The 

importer will establish and implement a system of internal controls 

which demonstrate that reasonable care was exercised in its claim for 

duty-free treatment under the CBI. These controls should include tests 

to assure the accuracy and availability of records that establish:

    (1) The origin of the rum;

    (2) The direct shipment of the rum from a beneficiary country or 

from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Canada;

    (3) The alcohol content of the finished beverage imported from 

Canada; and

    (4) The direct shipment of the finished beverage from Canada to the 

United States.

    (h) Submission of documents to Customs. The importer must be 

prepared to submit directly to the port director, if requested, those 

documents and/or supporting records as described in paragraphs (d), (e) 

and (f) of this section, for a period of 5 years from the date of entry 

of the related spirituous beverages under section 213(a)(6) of the 

Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703(a)(6)), as 

provided in Sec.  163.4(a) of this chapter. If requested, the importer 

must submit such documents and/or supporting records to the port 

director within 60 calendar days of the date of the request or such 

additional period as the port director may allow for good cause shown.



[T.D. 02-59, 67 FR 62882, Oct. 9, 2002]