Passenger Fee Exemption Ends for Canada, Mexico & Adjacent Islands on Nov 5
CBP has posted a notice to its Web site about the provision in the recently enacted U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement implementing bill (H.R. 3078) which, effective November 5, 2011, will eliminate the exemptions from the passenger processing fee, currently set forth in 19 USC 58c(b)(1)(A)(i), for those arrivals of passengers whose journeys originated in Canada, Mexico, or any adjacent island.
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(The Wall Street Journal reports that the Canadian government had tried to get the U.S. to remove this provision from the bill.)
As a result, only arriving passengers whose journeys originated in a territory or possession of the U.S., or originated in the U.S. and was limited to territories and possessions of the U.S., will be exempt from the passenger processing fee prescribed by 19 USC 58c(a)(5).
Beginning on November 5, 2011 (15 days after enactment of H.R. 3078), each person that issues a document or ticket to an individual for transportation by a commercial vessel or commercial aircraft into the customs territory of the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, or any adjacent island shall collect from that individual the fee prescribed by 19 USC 58c(a)(5), and comply with all other collection and remittance requirements.
CBP notes that its notice does not affect the collection and remittance requirements for the passenger processing fees that are in effect under the current version of 19 USC 58c.
CBP contact - Office of Trade Relations (traderelations@dhs.gov)