Failure to provide the Canada Border Services Agency with proof of origin upon request, corrections to origin declarations, or reports of diverted goods are among customs compliance violations that will face steeper penalties starting in April, the CBSA said in a March 5 notice. The CBSA previously said it planned to increase the Administrative Monetary Penalties for trade compliance violations (see 1903040034), but had not provided details on the changes.

C.H. Robinson will buy The Space Cargo Group for about $48 million, the company said in a news release. The Space Cargo Group is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, and offers customs brokerage and international freight forwarding services, it said. “We continue to look for ways to capitalize on the opportunity to grow globally, in part by acquiring leading local providers that share our commitment of best-in-class service and execution," said Bob Biesterfeld, who will become CEO of C.H. Robinson in May. "This enables us to better support our customers of all sizes and enhance returns as we integrate these companies into our global business.”

The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:​​

A trade embargo on Qatar by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt remains in effect, despite some recent reports that restrictions had been loosened, law firm Baker McKenzie said in a blog post. Those reports were based on readings of circulars from UAE ports that were “inaccurate and misconstrued,” and the UAE Federal Customs Authority says there “has been no recent development in relation to the Qatar boycott,” the blog post said. “In light of these statements and until further information becomes available or the situation is further clarified by the [UAE Federal Transport Authority] or the customs authorities in the UAE, parties should continue to operate on the basis that there has been no relief or relaxation of the boycott whether on the part of the UAE or Qatar,” Baker McKenzie said.

In the March 4 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom’s HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on March 4 launched a new online portal for importers and exporters to get Economic Operator Registration and Identification numbers, which will be required to trade with the European Union if the UK leaves the EU with no deal at the end of March. Once the application is submitted, the EORI number might be provided immediately, “but it could take up to 3 working days if HMRC needs to make more checks,” the agency said in updated guidance. The EORI number will be required for businesses “established in the UK” that don’t already have an EORI and that will import or export goods with the EU after 11 p.m. GMT on March 29, when the UK is currently scheduled to leave the EU. An EORI will not be required for trade with Ireland across the Northern Ireland-Ireland border, HMRC said.

The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices for March 4 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial lists trade-related notices as follows:

Mexico’s Tax Administration Service’s legal support office recently clarified that, for advance clearance ocean shipments, the identifiers “DA” and “FR” should be declared to SAT, the Latin American Confederation of Customs Brokers (CLAA) said in a March 1 circular to its members. That last identifier is for operations for which the exchange rate date is prior to arrival, which is the case for advance clearance shipments because SAT requires advance duty payment, CLAA said.

Mexico’s Tax Administration Service is set to postpone the effective dates of recently issued regulations on simplified clearance for merchandise imported and exported by parcel and express couriers. Issued Nov. 30, the regulations set conditions and entry documentation requirements for simplified clearance, including tariff numbers and other information required for filing, as well as types of merchandise that are ineligible for the procedures. The regulations had been set to take effect March 1, with the exception of certain registration and information submission requirements that were to take effect July 1. A pre-publication version of a notice on the SAT website would delay these effective dates to Oct. 1, respectively. The notice has yet to be published in the Diario Oficial.