Earlier this year, I was in a geology class and was assigned a project on different minerals; I chose rough diamonds. In my search to buy one, I found this one carat rough diamond for about $60 from Belgium. I researched the diamond and the company to make sure it was Kimberley Process certified before I made my purchase, see Are Your Rough Diamonds Kimberley Process Certified. Once I made sure it was certified, I made my purchase.

After some time, I got a call from a representative at the U.S. Census Bureau. Initially, I figured it was for some survey, but then they started asking about a rough diamond purchase. I explained to them that I did purchase one for a class project. That’s when I was informed about the requirements of importing a rough diamond.

The representative informed me that a U.S. Customs Border and Protection (CBP) entry had to be filed electronically via the Automatic Broker Interface (ABI) or by paper (CBPF-7501). Once the shipment was received, I had to fax a copy of the Kimberley Certificate to the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes. He mentioned I had to keep records of the certificate for at least five years. Luckily, I still had the Kimberley certificate.

Later that year, I received a call from the U.S. State Department. They said I was required to provide an annual report that included my total import activity to their agency, due annually on April 1. I thought “WOW! All this for importing a rough diamond?” However, I know the Kimberley Process is a great cause, so of course I wouldn’t mind the additional work.

After I completed the whole process I realized that this was a good learning experience. I wanted to share my experience and provide you some insight. I provided a brief list of some facts you need to know before you import a rough diamond; especially for the one timer such as myself.

 Requirements for Importing a Rough Diamond

For more information on these requirements, you can visit //www.state.gov/documents/organization/105827.pdf.