§ 10.195 - Country of origin criteria.

§ 10.195 Country of origin criteria.

(a) Articles produced in a beneficiary country -

(1) General. Except as provided herein, any article which is either wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a beneficiary country or a new or different article of commerce which has been grown, produced, or manufactured in a beneficiary country, may qualify for duty-free entry under the CBI. No article or material shall be considered to have been grown, produced, or manufactured in a beneficiary country by virtue of having merely undergone simple (as opposed to complex or meaningful) combining or packaging operations, or mere dilution with water or mere dilution with another substance that does not materially alter the characteristics of the article. Duty-free entry under the CBI may be accorded to an article only if the sum of the cost or value of the material produced in a beneficiary country or countries, plus the direct costs of processing operations performed in a beneficiary country or countries, is not less than 35 percent of the appraised value of the article at the time it is entered.

(2) Combining, packaging, and diluting operations. No article which has undergone only a simple combining or packaging operation or a mere dilution in a beneficiary country within the meaning of paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall be entitled to duty-free treatment even though the processing operation causes the article to meet the value requirement set forth in that paragraph.

(i) For purposes of this section, simple combining or packaging operations and mere dilution include, but are not limited to, the following processes:

(A) The addition of batteries to devices;

(B) Fitting together a small number of components by bolting, glueing, soldering etc.;

(C) Blending foreign and beneficiary country tobacco;

(D) The addition of substances such as anticaking agents, preservatives, wetting agents, etc.;

(E) Repacking or packaging components together;

(F) Reconstituting orange juice by adding water to orange juice concentrate; and

(G) Diluting chemicals with inert ingredients to bring them to standard degrees of strength.

(ii) For purposes of this section, simple combining or packaging operations and mere dilution shall not be taken to include processes such as the following:

(A) The assembly of a large number of discrete components onto a printed circuit board;

(B) The mixing together of two bulk medicinal substances followed by the packaging of the mixed product into individual doses for retail sale;

(C) The addition of water or another substance to a chemical compound under pressure which results in a reaction creating a new chemical compound; and

(D) A simple combining or packaging operation or mere dilution coupled with any other type of processing such as testing or fabrication (e.g., a simple assembly of a small number of components, one of which was fabricated in the beneficiary country where the assembly took place).

The fact that an article or material has undergone more than a simple combining or packaging operation or mere dilution is not necessarily dispositive of the question of whether that processing constitutes a substantial transformation for purposes of determining the country of origin of the article or material.

(b) Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and former beneficiary countries -

(1) General. For purposes of determining the percentage referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, the term “beneficiary country” includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and any former beneficiary countries. Any cost or value of materials or direct costs of processing operations attributable to the U.S. Virgin Islands or any former beneficiary country must be included in the article prior to its final exportation from a beneficiary country to the United States.

(2) Manufacture in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico after final exportation. Notwithstanding the provisions of 19 U.S.C. 1311, if an article from a beneficiary country is entered under bond for processing or use in manufacturing in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, no duty will be imposed on the withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of the product of that processing or manufacturing provided that:

(i) The article entered in the warehouse in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico was grown, produced, or manufactured in a beneficiary country within the meaning of paragraph (a) of this section and was imported directly from a beneficiary country within the meaning of § 10.193; and

(ii) At the time of its withdrawal from the warehouse, the product of the processing or manufacturing in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico meets the 35 percent value-content requirement prescribed in paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) Materials produced in the U.S. For purposes of determining the percentage referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, an amount not to exceed 15 percent of the appraised value of the article at the time it is entered may be attributed to the cost or value of materials produced in the customs territory of the U.S. (other than the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). In the case of materials produced in the customs territory of the U.S., the provisions of § 10.196 shall apply.

(d) Textile components cut to shape in the U.S. The percentage referred to in paragraph (c) of this section may be attributed in whole or in part to the cost or value of a textile component that is cut to shape (but not to length, width, or both) in the U.S. (including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) from foreign fabric and exported to a beneficiary country for assembly into an article that is then returned to the U.S. and entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after July 1, 1996. For purposes of this paragraph, the terms “textile component” and “fabric” have reference only to goods covered by the definition of “textile or apparel product” set forth in § 102.21(b)(5) of this chapter.

(e) Articles wholly grown, produced, or manufactured in a beneficiary country. Any article which is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a beneficiary country, including articles produced or manufactured in a beneficiary country exclusively from materials which are wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a beneficiary country or countries, shall normally be presumed to meet the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) of this section.

(f) Country of origin marking. The general country of origin marking requirements that apply to all importations are also applicable to articles imported under the CBI.

[T.D. 84-237, 49 FR 47993, Dec. 7, 1984; 49 FR 49575, Dec. 20, 1984, as amended by T.D. 95-69, 60 FR 46197, Sept. 5, 1995; T.D. 95-69, 60 FR 55995, Nov. 6, 1996; T.D. 00-68, 65 FR 59658, Oct. 5, 2000; CBP Dec. 10-29, 75 FR 52450, Aug. 26, 2010]