Free Trade Agreements
Free Trade Agreements are a key means of minimizing spend, reaching customers, and carving a competitive edge in the global marketplace. Star USA’s free trade agreements consulting & training helps clients identify eligible goods while maintaining compliance and mitigating risk through fully-managed processes.
Free Trade Agreements
Free Trade Agreements are a key means of minimizing spend, reaching customers, and carving a competitive edge in the global marketplace. Star USA’s free trade agreements consulting & training helps clients identify eligible goods while maintaining compliance and mitigating risk through fully-managed processes.
Correcting Course on International Trade Compliance
Maintaining Efficient, Functional and Compliant International Operations
Free Trade Agreement Consulting & Training Services
HTSUS & HTSCA Classification
Star USA offers fully-managed HTS Classification for imported goods. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule is the primary means by which the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CPB) records international trade activity and collects customs duties and taxes. Accurate product classification is essential to keep shipments moving while also keeping costs in check. Our classification services can be offered on a broad scale, ad-hoc, or ongoing support basis - and includes assistance and training for recordkeeping, system updates, and CROSS Rulings.
Supplier Solicitation
The Supplier Solicitation process helps companies in collecting details from suppliers prior to importing goods. There may be duty tax benefits on importing goods if the importing country's government has a trade agreement with the country of origin's government.
Valuation
The Customs Valuation Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) sets out a fair, uniform, neutral system for determining the value of imported goods on which officials levy duties. This system bars the use of arbitrary or fictitious customs values.
Product Qualification
Product Qualification is an integral part of the Free Trade Agreement process. Eligible products may get duty-free or reduced tariff treatment. Star USA's free trade agreement consulting experts recognize that proper qualification methods and recordkeeping are essential.
Document Issuance
FTA Certificates of Origin are required to successfully claim an FTA tariff preference for reduced or eliminated tariffs (which can help U.S. companies be more competitive). Star USA can help define & implement the necessary procedures, as well as train your team how to correctly prepare these documents on your own.
Internal Audit
Knowing whether your Free Trade Agreement processes are as efficient as they could be requires periodic internal auditing. We can train staff how to effectively conduct these reviews, or we can administer audits directly.
Making the Most of Free Trade Agreements
Knowing all the Free Trade Agreements (or FTAs) available to your firm - and properly utilizing them - is key to keeping pace in increasingly competitive global markets. Yet it's widely known that approximately two-thirds of eligible companies underutilize FTAs and overpay duties, leaving many millions of dollars in savings on the table.
An FTA is essentially an agreement in which two or more countries settle on certain obligations relevant to trade in goods and services, as well as intellectual property rights, protection for investors, and more. Ultimately, FTAs can extend more favorable terms that allow you to move your goods across the globe more cheaply and easily.
In our experience at Star USA, it seems not so much a question of whether companies know about their FTA eligibility as they are daunted by the complexity of the process and potential penalties for non-compliance. Our Free Trade Agreement consulting & training services can help your team turn a critical eye toward ways to use FTAs as a criteria in designing your supply chain structure and from there maintaining regulatory compliance.
“The professionals at Star are a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend their organization."
Laura F., Director of Global Logistics & Compliance
