U.S. CUSTOMS CLOSES NAFTA CENTER

U.S. CUSTOMS CLOSES NAFTA CENTER

   U.S. Customs said it will close its NAFTA Center on March 15.

   The Dallas-based facility was opened in 1995 to help shippers with their questions regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement.

   During the past five years, the center’s staff, which comprises representatives from Canada, Mexico and U.S. Customs, fielded about 20,000 questions a year.

   “Now that the trade community and local Customs officials are familiar with NAFTA, questions about importing under the Agreement will be addressed in the same way as any questions about other trade laws or regulations,” Customs said.

   Shippers with questions about exporting to Mexico may contact the Mexican government at (202) 728-1700. Questions about Canada should be directed to the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency’s Automated Customs Information Service at (800) 661-6121. Shippers may also contact the U.S. Department of Commerce at (800) 872-8723.

   U.S. Customs said that companies importing goods from either Mexico or Canada should direct their NAFTA questions to the port of entry. NAFTA information pertaining to U.S. Customs can also be found on the Internet at http://www.nafta.customs.org and at the U.S. Customs Web site, http://www.customs.gov.