The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced it will accept requests for exclusion from additional tariff rates of 15% duties imposed on Chinese imports listed on Section 301, Tranche 4, beginning on October 31, 2019. The exclusion requests may be submitted via the Web Portal beginning at noon on October 31 through January 31, 2020.

The products covered by Tranche 4 are listed in Annex A.   The subcategories include a wide range of products, detailed in the Federal Register publication on August 20, 2019 and shown HERE.

We urge individual importers, associations and others seeking exclusions from the tariffs to register on the site on October 31. More information and guidance on the exclusion process, and a sample form for filers, is available HERE.

What importers should know:

The situation remains very fluid. We are advising clients to do the following:

• If you have a question about whether your products are affected by these or other tariffs, we may be able to help. We can tell you what impact the tariffs will have on your shipments, and help you file a claim for an exclusion.
• Consider sourcing options in other countries besides China.
• Check back at www.wbskinner.co for tariff news and updates.

If you have questions regarding your shipments, please contact us HERE.