Importing into the United States - Indo-American Chamber Of ...

FOREIGN DOCUMENTATION
Importers of wines and distilled spirits
should consult the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms about foreign documentation
required, for example, certificates of origin, age,
etc. Wines or distilled spirits from certain countries
require original certificates of origin as a
condition of entry.
REQUIREMENTS OF OTHER
AGENCIES
In addition, the importation of alcoholic
beverages is subject to the specific requirements
of the Food and Drug Administration.
Certain plant materials, when used for bottle
jackets for wine or other liquids, are subject to
special restrictions under plant quarantine regulations
of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service. All bottle jackets made of dried or
unmanufactured plant materials are subject to
inspection upon arrival and are referred to the
Department of Agriculture.
Public Law 100-690, codified under 27
U.S.C. 213-219A, requires the following health
warning to appear on the labels of containers of
alcoholic beverages bottled on or after Nov. 18,
1989:
Government Warning: (1) According to the
Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic
beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of
birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages
impairs your ability to drive a car or operate
machinery and may cause health problems.
39. MOTOR VEHICLES AND BOATS
AUTOMOBILES, VEHICLES AND
VEHICLE EQUIPMENT
Safety, Bumper, and Emission Requirements.
As a general rule, all imported motor vehicles
less than 25 years old and items of motor
vehicle equipment must comply with all
applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
in effect when these vehicles or items
were manufactured. A Customs inspection at
the time of entry will determine such compliance,
which is verified by the original manufacturer’s
certification permanently affixed to the
vehicle or merchandise. An entry declaration
form, HS-7, must be filed when motor vehicles
or items of motor vehicle equipment are
entered. The HS-7 can be obtained from customs
brokers or ports of entry.
Certain temporary importations may be
exempt from the requirements for conformance
if written approval is obtained in advance from
both the U.S. Department of Transportation
and the Environmental Protection Agency. This
includes vehicles brought in for research,
demonstrations, investigation, studies, testing
or competitive events. Also, EPA form 3520-1
and DOT form HS-7 must be submitted to Customs
at the time entry is made for such vehicles.
Vehicles imported for temporary use by
certain nonresidents or by members of foreign
governments or foreign armed forces may not
be required to comply with safety, bumper,
emission, or theft-prevention standards. Nonconforming
vehicles imported by nonresidents
for personal use must be exported at the end of
one year. Vehicles described in this paragraph
may also require EPA and DOT declarations
(forms 3520-1 and HS-7, respectively).
A DOT bond in the amount of 150 percent
of the vehicle’s dutiable value must be posted
at the port of entry when a noncertified or nonconforming
vehicle is imported for permanent
use. The importer must also sign a contract
with a DOT-registered importer, who will
modify the vehicle to conform with all applicable
safety and bumper standards, and who
can certify the modification(s). A copy of this
contract must be furnished to the Customs Service
with the HS-7 at the port of entry. Furthermore,
the vehicle model and model year must
be determined to be eligible for importation.
For additional information or details on
these requirements, contact the U.S. Department
of Transportation, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, Director of the
Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (NEF-32),
86 U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE