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Customs Notice CN09-007
May 5, 2009
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Canada-European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)
Implementation
1. This customs notice is to inform you of the July 1, 2009 implementation of the Canada-European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). The CEFTA consists of a main Free Trade Agreement, which deals with industrial products and selected processed agricultural products, and three bilateral agreements on agriculture signed with Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, respectively, which deal with selected agricultural products. Switzerland and Liechtenstein have a customs union, and the agreement with Switzerland covers both countries. These four agreements are to operate together to eliminate duties on all non-agricultural goods and eliminate or reduce tariffs on selected agricultural products.
2. Information regarding the CEFTA and the text of the agreements can be found on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) website: www.international.gc.ca.
3. The CEFTA implementing legislation Bill C-2 received royal assent on April 29, 2009 and is scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2009. The legislation (Bill C-2) can be found at the following Parliament of Canada website: www.parl.gc.ca.
4. Proposed regulatory amendments and new regulations under the Customs Act will be announced in a separate customs notice.
Tariff Provisions
5. Pursuant to the CEFTA, 3 new preferential tariff treatments are being introduced, namely the Iceland Tariff, the Norway Tariff and the Switzerland-Liechtenstein Tariff. The newly assigned tariff treatment codes are as follows:
- Iceland Tariff (IT) – Code 22
- Norway Tariff (NT) – Code 23
- Switzerland-Liechtenstein Tariff (SLT) – Code 24
6. The rates of duty under the Iceland Tariff, the Norway Tariff and the Switzerland-Liechtenstein Tariff will be published in an addendum to the departmental consolidation of the Customs Tariff.
7. Entitlement to the Iceland Tariff, the Norway Tariff and the Switzerland-Liechtenstein Tariff are determined in accordance with the CEFTA rules of origin and are contained in Annex C of the CEFTA.
Proof of Origin
8. The required proof of origin is a statement and is referred to in the CEFTA as the Origin Declaration. It is contained in Appendix II to Annex C, and is available at the DFAIT website provided in paragraph 2 above.
9. This statement may be provided on an invoice or other supporting document that describes the originating product in sufficient detail to enable its identification. In order to claim a preferential tariff treatment accorded under the CEFTA, importers must have in their possession the statement completed by the exporter in the EFTA country of export.
Shipping Requirements
10. Goods, other than those contained in the agriculture bilateral agreements, may be shipped directly from any of the EFTA countries, with or without transshipment, to Canada.
11. For each respective agriculture bilateral agreement, the good must be shipped directly from the EFTA country in which the good originates, with or without transshipment, to Canada.
12. The transshipment conditions are contained in Article 14 of Annex C of the CEFTA.
Refunds
13. An application for a refund under paragraph 74(1)(c.11) of the Customs Act may be made within four years from the date the goods were accounted for under subsections 32(1), (3), or (5), for goods that were imported on or after July 1, 2009.
Updates
14. This customs notice is intended as an overview only, highlighting the future changes to the Customs Tariff and the Customs Act and the requirements to take advantage of the CEFTA preferential duty rates. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the CEFTA, it is advised that, prior to importing goods benefiting from this agreement, importers review the agreement in its entirety and the legislation Bill C-2 be consulted.
Additional Information
15. Any questions concerning this notice should be directed to the Border Information Service (BIS). The BIS telephone service is available during regular business hours, Monday to Friday (except holidays), from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., local time. (Press 0 to speak to an agent.)
For service in English, from within Canada call:
1-800-461-9999 (toll free)
For service in French, from within Canada call:
1-800-959-2036 (toll free)
For service in English, from outside Canada, call:
204-983-3500 or 506-636-5064 (long-distance charges apply)
For service in French, from outside Canada, call:
204-983-3700 or 506-636-5067 (long-distance charges apply)
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