customs-trade-compliance-method

# Customs Trade Compliance Method ## Freeze transaction and authority Record the legal entities and operational roles, importer and exporter, importer/exporter of record as supplied, buyer/seller/consignee/end user/intermediaries, goods/part/configuration, quantities and units, invoice and currency, shipment and entry IDs, origin and destination, route/mode, Incoterm and version, entry/export dates, jurisdictions, customs procedure, broker, controlled source versions, owner and requested decision. Similar part names are not the same goods. Bind every rule, tariff, list, licence, ruling and filing instruction to jurisdiction, version and effective date. Do not inherit rates, thresholds, deadlines or conclusions from upstream examples. Protected WCO explanatory notes and commercial databases may be referenced only through authorized locators. ## Reconcile documents and roles Map commercial invoice, purchase/order, packing list, bill of lading or airway bill, origin evidence, product specification, BOM, supplier declaration, licence, screening output, broker instruction and entry/export declaration by stable IDs. Reconcile descriptions, quantities, units, values, currencies, parties, dates, Incoterms and goods configurations. Record missing, stale, inconsistent and amended documents. Do not correct a source record, instruct a broker or submit a filing. A logistics record proves movement facts only within its source; it does not establish customs classification, origin or value. ## Build classification evidence Describe goods through objective technical evidence: identity, composition/material, function, operating principle, manufacturing state, packaging/presentation, included components and configuration at the relevant date. Link to the exact nomenclature version. List candidate headings/subheadings and the authorized rule or GRI reasoning supplied by the specialist. Record considered and rejected candidates, determining facts and unresolved questions. Attribute official rulings or classification opinions with issuing authority, date, goods facts and applicability differences. The classification rationale remains evidence for a specialist, never a code assignment by this Skill. Never select or approve final HS, HTS, TARIC, Schedule B, ECCN or other code. ## Trace origin and preference Map finished goods to BOM, non-originating/originating materials as supplied, supplier declarations, manufacturing locations/processes, tariff classifications, agreement and product-specific rule version, period and cumulation or tolerance evidence. Treat rules of origin as jurisdiction-, programme-, goods- and date-specific controlled inputs supplied by a qualified specialist. Preserve gaps and conflicting supplier evidence. Origin, substantial transformation and preference qualification are jurisdiction- and agreement-specific professional determinations. The Skill records candidate analysis and evidence only. It cannot certify origin or prepare a submission-ready certificate. ## Trace valuation inputs Record transaction price and currency, buyer/seller relationship, assists, royalties/licence fees, proceeds, commissions, packing, freight, insurance, discounts, transfer-pricing or post-entry adjustments and Incoterm allocation. Label related party status and its supplied specialist assessment separately. Identify the candidate customs valuation method and source provided by the specialist. Separate commercial invoice value, customs value, statistical value, dutiable additions/deductions and duty estimate. Any calculation is non-authoritative and requires supplied method, exchange rate, date and units. Do not choose a method, approve value or calculate an official duty. ## Handle potential screening matches safely Record each party and identifying attributes, exact official list or control source, version and screening timestamp, match method/version and matched fields. A fuzzy or name match is a potential match, not a designated party or legal prohibition. Preserve false-positive and false-negative limitations. Do not clear, confirm or act on a match; block/reject/hold/release a transaction; determine sanctions, export control, end-use or licence requirements; or contact an authority. Route ambiguous evidence to qualified trade/export-control and sanctions specialists. ## Reconcile broker and entry evidence Compare controlled product/transaction sources with broker instruction and filed entry/declaration fields: parties, goods description, classification, origin, quantity/unit, value/currency, procedure, preference and licence references. Record exact differences, timing and evidence impact. An error or difference is not automatically a violation. Preserve authority requests, audit chronology, correction or disclosure options only as supplied by counsel/broker. Never amend a filing, admit liability, tender payment or communicate externally. ## Join and stop Run transaction/document, classification, origin/valuation and screening/entry branches from one baseline. Join by transaction, goods, party, shipment, entry and evidence IDs. Preserve conflicting sources, code candidates, potential matches and decisions not made. Stop for ambiguous goods/configuration, missing jurisdiction/date/nomenclature, stale list/rule, incomplete BOM or value inputs, unresolved party identity, document mismatch, absent filing authority or qualified reviewer. Qualified customs and trade professionals make every classification, origin, valuation, duty, licence, filing and shipment decision.