subject: The 10 2 Customs Rule [print this page] If you are in the business of international trade, you must understand Harmonized Tariff Codes and their numerical system of classifying goods and materials being imported and exported. An important part of the HTS classification is the 10 + 2 rule, which is a new mandatory reporting requirement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that is officially known as the Importer Security Filing. The 10 2 Customs system has required that importers report 10 new data elements to CBP prior to their shipments being loaded for export to the United States since January 1, 2009. Under the 10 + 2, importers must submit an HS code for every commodity they wish to import before it is shipped. There are a few key details that every importer should know about this new rule. The 10 + 2 rule was instituted by the United States Customs and Border Protection as a part of the Importer Security Filing and additional carrier requirements that were instituted in January, 2008. One of the most important things that any importer should know about the 10 2 Customs system is that customs officials can deny the loading of the shipment if the 10 + 2 is not completed 24 prior to loading and departure. It is mandatory that the 10 + 2 requirements are fulfilled and filed at least 24 hours before the goods are loaded on to the vessel at the foreign port where shippers will embark from. The Customs and Border Protection agency instituted these new rules to complement existing harmonized tariff codes and to assess high risk cargo shipments by requiring the electronic transmission of additional data elements when the cargo is destined to the United States. So in addition to HTS classification, these high risk goods and materials are classified with an additional pair of numbers, one ten digits and one two digits, in order to further classify the items. It is a measure that takes the safety and security of American citizens into to a higher level, because high risk materials are looked at with more scrutiny.
