NOTICE - Informal Entry Value Increase

Effective January 7, 2013, through a final rule in the Federal Register titled “Informal Entry Limit and Removal of a Formal Entry Requirement,” the United States Customs and Border Protection raised the dollar value limit for filing informal import entries from $2,000 to $2,500. This rule will facilitate trade for low-value shipments, allowing importers to realize an annual cost savings.  The new limit applies to all commodities, including previous exceptions (textile products).  More information is available at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/12062012.xml. 

With the implementation of this final rule, the U.S. Census Bureau has reviewed its method for measuring low-value shipments and determined that the informal import entries contain all the necessary data elements to maintain the current level of detail in the published statistics.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Data Dissemination Branch of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division on (800) 549-0595, option 4, or at ftd.data.dissemination@census.gov.