The 2026 Importer of Record Landscape: Why the Duty-Free Era Ended, and What It Costs to Get Compliance Wrong
For most of the last decade, the dominant force in cross-border trade was frictionlessness. Thresholds rose, parcels flowed, and the importer of record was a box on a customs form that, for low-value goods, barely mattered. That era is over. Across 2025 and 2026, the world’s largest economies dismantled the duty-free treatment of low-value imports, […]
Importer of Record for Data Centre Equipment: Clearing Transformers, Cooling, and Power Hardware Against a Build Deadline
A data centre does not go live when the servers arrive. It goes live when the power and cooling are in place, and that is the equipment most likely to be stuck at a border. The transformers, switchgear, uninterruptible power supplies, chillers, and liquid-cooling systems that a facility runs on are heavy, high in value, […]
The EU De Minimis Importer of Record Problem: Why Parcels Without a Declarant Will Be Returned From 1 July 2026
Update, 28 July 2026: The EU de minimis reform took effect on 1 July 2026 and France’s abolition of one-off fiscal representation under Regime 42 took effect on 1 January 2026, so both changes described here are now live rather than pending. This guide has been updated accordingly. The central point stands: since 1 July, […]
Section 122 Has Expired: What Importers Who Paid the Surcharge Should Do About Refunds
The Section 122 tariffs expired at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on 24 July 2026, at the end of their 150-day statutory life, and Congress did not extend them. At the same moment, a new Section 301 action on forced labour took effect and replaced them for most origins, so the expiry did not bring the […]
Brazil Section 301 Tariff 2026: The 25% Duty Is Live, Where It Hits, and Where to Go Instead
The Brazil Section 301 tariff 2026 is live. Since 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on 22 July 2026, a 25% additional ad valorem duty has applied to most products of Brazil under HTSUS heading 9903.05.01. This is no longer a proposal or a comment window: it is a duty CBP is collecting right now. So the […]
29 Days Until the EU Parcel Tax: Why DHL, FedEx and UPS Are Sounding the Alarm for All EU Importers
On May 22, 2026, the CEOs of DHL Express Europe, FedEx Europe, and UPS EMEA signed a joint letter to European Union finance ministers warning that the planned €3 flat-rate duty on all parcels valued below €150, taking effect July 1, 2026, risks clogging EU border checks and disrupting supply chains across the bloc if […]
2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season: What IT Hardware, Medtech and Equipment Importers Must Do Before August
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season starts today, June 1. NOAA’s official forecast predicts 8 to 14 named storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes, and 1 to 3 major hurricanes. The agency assigns 55% probability to a below-normal season driven by El Niño. Colorado State University aligns closely: 13 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 major storms. Both […]
CBP Customs Audit 2026: How AI Targeting Works and What IT, Medtech and Equipment Importers Must Do Now
The numbers define the scale of what is happening. In FY2024, CBP collected $117.7 million from importer audits across the full year. By June 2025, FY25 collections had already reached $192.77 million from 348 completed audits, with $37.88 million of that from penalties and liquidated damages alone. The full FY2025 figure reached $235.46 million according […]
ICS2 Stop Words 2026: Why Your EU Customs Description Is Getting Rejected and Exactly What to File Instead
An ICS2 stop words 2026 rejection does not announce itself in advance. The booking was confirmed. The freight forwarder filed the Entry Summary Declaration before the goods arrived at the EU border. And then the ICS2 Common Repository rejected the filing automatically. The goods are held. The delivery window is missed. The IT hardware sitting […]
China Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law 2026: What Every Importer of DG From China Must Know
On May 1, 2026, the China hazardous chemicals safety law 2026 came into force. Passed by the 19th Session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress on December 27, 2025, it is China’s first standalone law dedicated to the safety management of hazardous chemicals across their entire lifecycle. For companies importing goods […]