U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

China Blacklists Six U.S. Supply Chain Tracing Providers: What UFLPA Importers Need to Know

On August 5, 2026, China’s Ministry of Commerce placed six U.S. supply chain due diligence entities on its countermeasure list and prohibited organizations and individuals in China from transacting or cooperating with them. The six include the DNA tagging, isotopic testing, supply chain mapping, and labor audit providers that many importers rely on to document origin when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detains goods under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). Importers in cotton, apparel, electronics, minerals, and other UFLPA high-priority sectors should treat this as a direct hit on their evidence chain and act now. 

Key Takeaways 

  • On August 5, 2026, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued Order No. 2 of 2026 placing six U.S. entities on its countermeasure list under the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law: Applied DNA Sciences, Inc.; Stratum Reservoir, LLC; Altana Technologies, Inc.; Responsible Business Alliance; Verite Group, Inc.; and Human Rights in China. 
  • The countermeasure prohibits organizations and individuals within China from engaging in relevant transactions, cooperation, and other activities with the six entities, effective August 5, 2026. The order imposes no asset freeze and no entry ban. 
  • MOFCOM’s spokesperson tied the package to the July 31, 2026 addition of 43 entities to the UFLPA Entity List, published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2026, which brought the list to 187 entities. 
  • The listed entities include providers of DNA tagging, […]

Wood Packaging Material Violations: What to Do When CBP Issues an EAN 

This article explains what an importer should do in the first 24 hours after CBP issues an Emergency Action Notification (EAN) for non-compliant wood packaging material (WPM), how CBP calculates and mitigates the penalties that follow, and how the new APHIS-approved shredder-hammermill treatment can save the underlying cargo. It matters because a WPM penalty is assessed at the full domestic value of the merchandise, requires no pre-penalty notice, and can be issued even when the importer fully complies with the EAN. The decisions made before the cargo leaves the port determine how much of that exposure survives. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

  • An Emergency Action Notification (EAN) for non-compliant wood packaging material is not the end of the matter. It is the start of a penalty file. Call counsel the day it arrives, not the day the penalty notice arrives. 
  • CBP penalties for WPM violations are assessed at the domestic value of the merchandise under 19 U.S.C. § 1595a(b), with no pre-penalty notice required. A single violation is enough. The old five-violation threshold was eliminated in 2017. 
  • Mitigation is real but shrinks fast: 1 to 10 percent of the penalty on a first violation, 10 to 25 percent on a second, and a 25 percent floor on the third. Documented immediate remediation and cooperation are what move you toward the low end. 
  • Shredder-hammermilling is now an APHIS-approved treatment for non-compliant […]

BIS End-Use Checks: What Happens When an Export Control Officer Calls Your Customer 

BIS has published a plain-language FAQ on its End-Use Check program, the on-site visits its Export Control Officers conduct at foreign consignees and end users of U.S.-origin items. This article explains what those visits are, what your foreign customer will be asked to produce, the statutory and regulatory authority behind the request, and the consequences when a check cannot be completed. It matters because the penalty for a failed check falls on the exporter’s ability to ship, not only on the foreign party being visited. 

Key Takeaways 

  • An End-Use Check (EUC) is BIS verifying, on site and overseas, that your foreign customer is who it says it is and used your items the way the license or the EAR required. 
  • A failed or incomplete check does not need a finding of wrongdoing to hurt you. The customer can land on the Unverified List, license exceptions disappear, and every shipment then requires a UVL statement. 
  • Since October 2022, a check that stays incomplete for 60 days after Unverified List placement, because a host government blocks it, triggers Entity List proceedings. 
  • The exporter’s exposure is set before the visit ever happens: by the accuracy of the license application, the quality of the paper trail, and whether the foreign party was told what to expect. 
  • Diaz Trade Law prepares exporters […]

CBP Wants Your Foreign Export Documents: What the Supply Chain Visibility ANPRM Means for Importers

On September 2, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking that would fundamentally change what importers must know, keep, and disclose about the parties behind every shipment entering the United States. The notice implements Section 3 of Executive Order 14411 and covers foreign export documentation, replacement of the manufacturer identification code, foreign tax and global business identifiers, supply chain tracing technology, and expanded CTPAT requirements. Comments are due December 1, 2026, and the questions CBP is asking tell importers exactly where enforcement is headed. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

  • CBP published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on September 2, 2026 (Docket No. USCBP-2026-1058) that would give the agency visibility into every party in an import supply chain, from the foreign factory to the final delivery address. 
  • The headline proposal: importers of record may be required to obtain, retain, and submit the export declaration, invoice, packing list, and other documents their foreign supplier filed with its own customs authority. CBP says the purpose is to catch dual invoicing and undervaluation. 

CBP Will Void Importer of Record Numbers Beginning September 18, 2026

What Every Importer and Customs Broker Must Verify on CBP Form 5106 in the Next 30 Days

CBP published a federal register notice on August 19, 2026 announcing that, beginning September 18, 2026, it will immediately void importer of record numbers when the information on CBP Form 5106 is inaccurate or incomplete. A voided IOR number is invalid for every purpose, including making entry, which means cargo stops at the port with no advance warning. This article explains what CBP is verifying, why several long-accepted industry practices are now defects, and the corrective steps importers and brokers should take before the enforcement date. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

  • Effective September 18, 2026, CBP will void importer of record (IOR) numbers where the information on CBP Form 5106 is inaccurate or incomplete. A voided number cannot be used for any purpose, including making entry. 
  • The physical address on file must be the actual location of the business or individual. A registered agent, customs broker, freight forwarder, P.O. box, business service center, or any other party’s address is now a defect. 
  • The email address and phone number must belong to the IOR. Broker or forwarder contact information in those fields no longer passes. 
  • Customs brokers must hold a power of attorney executed directly with the […]
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