19 USC 1499 - Examination of merchandise

View all text of Part III [§ 1481 - § 1529]

§ 1499. Examination of merchandise

(a) Entry examination

(1) In general

(2) ExaminationThe Customs Service—

(A) shall designate the packages or quantities of merchandise covered by any invoice or entry which are to be opened and examined for the purpose of appraisement or otherwise;

(B) shall order such packages or quantities to be sent to such place as is designated by the Secretary by regulation for such purpose;

(D) shall inspect a sufficient number of shipments, and shall examine a sufficient number of entries, to ensure compliance with the laws enforced by the Customs Service.

(3) Unspecified articlesIf any package contains any article not specified in the invoice or entry and, in the opinion of the Customs Service, the article was omitted from the invoice or entry—

(A) with fraudulent intent on the part of the seller, shipper, owner, agent, importer of record, or entry filer, the contents of the entire package in which such article is found shall be subject to seizure; or

(B) without fraudulent intent, the value of the article shall be added to the entry and the duties, fees, and taxes thereon paid accordingly.

(4) Deficiency

(5) Information required for release

(b) Testing laboratories

(1) Accreditation of private testing laboratoriesThe Customs Service shall establish and implement a procedure, under regulations promulgated by the Secretary, for accrediting private laboratories within the United States which may be used to perform tests (that would otherwise be performed by Customs Service laboratories) to establish the characteristics, quantities, or composition of imported merchandise. Such regulations—

(A) shall establish the conditions required for the laboratories to receive and maintain accreditation for purposes of this subsection;

(B) shall establish the conditions regarding the suspension and revocation of accreditation, which may include the imposition of a monetary penalty not to exceed $100,000 and such penalty is in addition to the recovery, from a gauger or laboratory accredited under paragraph (1), of any loss of revenue that may have occurred, but the Customs Service—

(i) may seek to recover lost revenue only in cases where the gauger or laboratory intentionally falsified the analysis or gauging report in collusion with the importer; and

(ii) shall neither assess penalties nor seek to recover lost revenue because of a good faith difference of professional opinion; and

The collection of any charge for accreditation and reaccreditation under this section is not prohibited by section 58c(e)(6) of this title.

(2) Appeal of adverse accreditation decisions

(3) Testing by accredited laboratories

(4) Availability of testing procedure, methodologies, and informationTesting procedures and methodologies used by the Customs Service, and information resulting from any testing conducted by the Customs Service, shall be made available as follows:

(A) Testing procedures and methodologies shall be made available upon request to any person unless the procedures or methodologies are—

(i) proprietary to the holder of a copyright or patent related to such procedures or methodologies, or

(ii) developed by the Customs Service for enforcement purposes.

(B) Information resulting from testing shall be made available upon request to the importer of record and any agent thereof unless the information reveals information which is—

(i) proprietary to the holder of a copyright or patent; or

(ii) developed by the Customs Service for enforcement purposes.

(5) Miscellaneous provisionsFor purposes of this subsection—

(A) any reference to a private laboratory includes a reference to a private gauger; and

(B) accreditation of private laboratories extends only to the performance of functions by such laboratories that are within the scope of those responsibilities for determinations of the elements relating to admissibility, quantity, composition, or characteristics of imported merchandise that are vested in, or delegated to, the Customs Service.

(c) DetentionsExcept in the case of merchandise with respect to which the determination of admissibility is vested in an agency other than the Customs Service, the following apply:

(1) In general

(2) Notice of detentionThe Customs Service shall issue a notice to the importer or other party having an interest in detained merchandise no later than 5 days, excluding weekends and holidays, after the decision to detain the merchandise is made. The notice shall advise the importer or other interested party of—

(A) the initiation of the detention;

(B) the specific reason for the detention;

(D) the nature of the tests or inquiries to be conducted; and

(E) the nature of any information which, if supplied to the Customs Service, may accelerate the disposition of the detention.

(3) Testing results

(4) Seizure and forfeiture

(5) Effect of failure to make determination

(A) The failure by the Customs Service to make a final determination with respect to the admissibility of detained merchandise within 30 days after the merchandise has been presented for customs examination, or such longer period if specifically authorized by law, shall be treated as a decision of the Customs Service to exclude the merchandise for purposes of section 1514(a)(4) of this title.

(B) For purposes of section 1581 of title 28, a protest against the decision to exclude the merchandise which has not been allowed or denied in whole or in part before the 30th day after the day on which the protest was filed shall be treated as having been denied on such 30th day.

(C) Notwithstanding section 2639 of title 28, once an action respecting a detention is commenced, unless the Customs Service establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that an admissibility decision has not been reached for good cause, the court shall grant the appropriate relief which may include, but is not limited to, an order to cancel the detention and release the merchandise.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, § 499, 46 Stat. 728; June 25, 1938, ch. 679, §§ 15, 16(a), 52 Stat. 1084; Pub. L. 91–271, title III, § 301(k), June 2, 1970, 84 Stat. 289; Pub. L. 103–182, title VI, § 613(a), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2171.)