How the Government classifies goods
Taxes can be imposed on any goods that are crossed boarder, and local customs authorities enforce their collection. The calculation of duties depends on the assessable value of a dutiable shipment.
Goods are not classified by their use, stage of manufacture or place of origin, but rather by the category under which they fall. Some examples of these are:
- Mineral products
- Plastics and rubber
- Raw hides, skins, leathers
- Wood and straw
- Textile
- Stone, plaster and cement
When determining a classification code, commodity descriptions might appear to be similar, but they can have significantly different rates of duty. The more information you have about your product, the easier it will be to find the proper code and help your shipment get through customs smoothly. Customs might apply variable duties after initial entry – when estimated duties were paid or when an entry was audited – causing a change in the duty owed.
Exporting Dual-Use Goods
The Commerce Control List (CCL) contains commodities that could have dual-uses. Dual-use commodities generally have both commercial and military applications. The Customs controls these items to support national security and foreign policy.
These items are categorized based on the type of commodity (the nature of the product) such as software or technology, and its respective technical parameters.
Once logged into DHL My Global Trade Services (MyGTS), to find out if your commodity has dual-uses.
