How to Prepare a Customs Compliance Manual

Why Should You Attend:

You know that your company has good procedures in place for compliance with applicable Customs laws and regulations, but these procedures are not well documented. Perhaps the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has just informed you that your company will be audited in the near future, or you have decided to apply for membership in CBP’s Importer Self Assessment Program (ISA). Or maybe you have a new supervisor who has tasked you with documenting the Customs procedures. Having a robust Customs compliance manual is a critical factor in successfully passing an audit or in becoming an ISA member.

This webinar will guide one through the steps to be taken to prepare one’s company manual. It will assist compliance personnel, whether in the import, legal, or the supply chain department, in compiling a comprehensive Customs compliance manual.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• What areas should be covered in the manual?
• How to evaluate existing procedures, especially any written SOPs or desktop procedures.
• What areas are your strongest/weakest?
• How does your company assess risk in the area of Customs compliance?
• What procedures need to be enhanced?
• Consider making a flow chart of current procedures with an eye to improving it.
• Getting down to brass tacks and actually putting the manual together – it may not be as hard as you think!

Who Will Benefit:

• Compliance Officers
• General/Corporate Counsel
• Regulatory/Legislative Affairs Professionals
• Risk Management Specialists
• Supply Chain Specialists
• Training Personnel

Donna L Shira
Attorney, Spcblaw

Donna Shira, is a member of the law firm of Sharretts, Paley, Carter & Blauvelt, P.C., one of the preeminent firms in the field of U.S. Customs and international trade law. Ms. Shira graduated from Columbia University Law School in 1983 and has over 30 years of experience in a wide range of Customs and trade-related matters, with an emphasis on textile and apparel matters, Free Trade Agreements, consumer product safety issues, country of origin issues, cargo security and C-TPAT participation, Customs compliance audits and the Importer Self-Assessment program, and global trade issues. She has represented clients in several Section 301 and China safeguard actions and testified before the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements on textile quota matters.

Ms. Shira is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School, teaching Customs and international trade law, and is Co-President of the New York chapter of the Organization for Women in International Trade. She has lectured on various topics, including NAFTA, classification issues, compliance, consumer product safety, and cargo security. She is admitted to practice at the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Topic Background:

CBP expects that all importing companies will have written procedures that demonstrate their compliance programs. Often importers draft their first compliance manual after receiving notice of a CBP audit. Preparing a manual before hearing from CBP is even better, but it can seem like an insurmountable task.

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