Tariff / Customs & Trade Advisory

Service description

Navigate the complex regulatory landscape of international trade to ensure compliance with laws and regulations related to tariffs, duties, import/export controls, and other relevant areas. Services include: (i) Compliance Counseling: Providing guidance on tariff classification, valuation, country of origin, and other import/export requirements. (ii) Customs Enforcement: Defending businesses in customs enforcement proceedings, including penalty actions and seizure cases. (iii) Trade Negotiations: Representing clients in trade negotiations and advocating for their interests in trade agreements. (iv) Tariff Mitigation: Helping businesses reduce or eliminate tariffs through various strategies like utilizing free trade agreements or duty drawback programs. (v) Customs Audits: Assisting with customs audits and focused assessments. (vi) Prior Disclosures: Helping companies make voluntary disclosures to customs authorities regarding potential violations. (vii) Trade Remedies: Representing clients in trade remedy actions like antidumping and countervailing duty cases. (viii) Export Controls: Advising on export control regulations, including ITAR, EAR, and sanctions. (ix) International Trade Policy: Providing guidance on trade policy matters and helping clients understand and comply with trade laws. (x) Currency Seizures: Handling cases involving currency seizures related to international trade. (xi) Global Entry Issues: Assisting with Global Entry applications and appeals.

Common industries

Importers and exporters of physical goods, including manufacturers, retailers, distributors and e-commerce sellers.

ROI

Correct classification and duty planning avoid overpayment and penalties, and can unlock duty-savings programs — increasingly valuable amid tariff volatility.

Benefit

Classify goods correctly, manage duty exposure, and stay compliant with customs and trade rules as tariff policy shifts.

Why get it

Customs law puts the burden on the importer to classify, value and declare goods correctly, and errors carry penalties. As tariff policy shifts, an advisor helps the business avoid overpaying duty and find programs that reduce it.

When you benefit

Ongoing: every shipment is a declaration, so classification and duty planning is reviewed regularly and again whenever products, suppliers or trade rules change.

What it costs

Hourly or fixed-fee.

When you pay

Advisory work is commonly billed hourly against a retainer, with fixed fees for a defined project such as a classification review or a prior disclosure. Contingent fees are sometimes used for duty-recovery work such as drawback.

Other costs

Duties and fees owed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are separate from the advisor's fee, and so may be customs broker or laboratory testing costs.

Risks to know

Errors in classification, value or origin can bring penalties under 19 U.S.C. § 1592, and a voluntary disclosure made before an investigation begins can limit them. Trade rules and duty rates change often, so a position that was right last year may not be today.

When risks arise

Exposure builds with every entry filed on a wrong basis, and it surfaces when CBP audits past entries or opens an enforcement action. To count as a prior disclosure, a disclosure must be made before, or without knowledge of, a formal investigation.

The process

The advisor reviews the business's products and import records, then confirms tariff classification, value and country of origin. The business reviews the findings and decides on actions such as correcting past entries, filing a prior disclosure or seeking duty relief. The advisor prepares the filings and represents the business with CBP where needed.

Your commitment

The business gives the advisor product descriptions, invoices, purchase and shipping records, and past entry documents. It should name the countries it buys from and sells to, any duty programs it uses, and any CBP notices it has received.

Documents to gather

• Commercial invoices and packing lists
• Entry summaries and customs broker records
• Product specifications and bills of materials
• CBP notices, requests for information or audit correspondence

Helpful reading

• Basic Importing and Exporting — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Tips for New Importers and Exporters — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Antidumping and Countervailing Duty (AD/CVD) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Further research

• 19 U.S.C. § 1484 — Entry, reasonable care
• 19 U.S.C. § 1401a — Value
• Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS)
• 19 U.S.C. § 1592 — Penalties
• 19 CFR § 162.74 — Prior disclosure
• 15 CFR Part 730 — Export Administration Regulations