1. Each Party shall grant any claim for preferential tariff treatment made in accordance with this Chapter, unless the Party possesses information indicating that the importer's claim fails to comply with any requirement under this Chapter or Chapter Three (Textiles and Apparel).
2. To determine whether a good imported into its territory qualifies for preferential tariff treatment, the importing Party may verify the origin.
3. Where a Party denies a claim for preferential tariff treatment, it shall issue a written determination containing findings of fact and the legal basis for its determination. The Party shall issue the determination within a period established under its law.
4. Each Party shall provide that, where an originating good was imported into its territory but the importer of the good did not make a claim for preferential tariff treatment at the time of importation, that importer may, no later than one year after the date of importation, make a claim for preferential tariff treatment and apply for a refund of any excess duties paid as the result of the good not having been accorded preferential tariff treatment, on presentation of:
(a) a written declaration that the good was originating at the time of importation; and
(b) such other documentation and information relating to the importation of the good as the importing Party may require.
5. Nothing in this Article shall prevent a Party from taking action under Article 5.5 (Cooperation).
Article 4.12. CONSULTATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS
1. The Parties shall consult and cooperate to ensure that this Chapter is applied in an effective and uniform manner, in accordance with the objectives of this Agreement.
2. The Parties may establish ad hoc working groups, or a subcommittee of the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 19.2 (Joint Committee), to consider any matter related to this Chapter (including Annex 4-A). On request of a Party, the Parties may direct a working group or subcommittee to review operation of this Chapter (including Annex 4-A) and develop recommendations for amendments in the light of any pertinent developments, including changes in technology and production processes, and other relevant factors.
Article 4.13. REGIONAL CUMULATION
In light of their desire to promote regional integration, the Parties shall endeavor to develop to the extent practicable, within six months of the date of entry into force of this Agreement, a regional cumulation regime covering the United States and Middle Eastern countries that have free trade agreements with the United States.
Article 4.14. DEFINITIONS
for Purposes of this Chapter:
foreign material means a material other than a material produced in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
good means any merchandise, product, article, or material;
goods wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of one or both of the Parties means goods consisting entirely of one or more of the following:
(a) mineral goods extracted in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
(b) vegetable goods, as such goods are defined in the Harmonized System, harvested in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
(c) live animals born and raised in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
(d) goods obtained from live animals raised in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
(e) goods obtained from hunting, trapping, or fishing in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
(f) goods (fish, shellfish, and other marine life) taken from the sea by vessels registered or recorded with a Party and flying its flag;
(g) goods produced on board factory ships from the goods referred to in subparagraph (f) provided such factory ships are registered or recorded with that Party and fly its flag;
(h) goods taken by a Party or a person of a Party from the seabed or beneath the seabed outside territorial waters, provided that a Party has rights to exploit such seabed;
(i) goods taken from outer space, provided they are obtained by a Party or a person of a Party and not processed in the territory of a non-Party;
(j) waste and scrap derived from:
(i) production or manufacture in the territory of one or both of the Parties; or
(ii) used goods collected in the territory of one or both of the Parties, provided such goods are fit only for the recovery of raw materials;
(k) recovered goods derived in the territory of a Party from used goods, and utilized in the Party's territory in the production of remanufactured goods; and
(l) goods produced in the territory of one or both of the Parties exclusively from goods referred to in subparagraphs (a) through (j), or from their derivatives, at any stage of production;
indirect material means a good used in the growth, production, manufacture, testing, or inspection of a good but not physically incorporated into the good, or a good used in the maintenance of buildings or the operation of equipment associated with the growth, production, or manufacture of a good, including:
(a) fuel and energy;
(b) tools, dies, and molds;
(c) spare parts and materials used in the maintenance of equipment and buildings;
(d) lubricants, greases, compounding materials, and other materials used in the growth, production, or manufacture of a good or used to operate equipment and buildings;
(e) gloves, glasses, footwear, clothing, safety equipment, and supplies;
(f) equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the goods;
(g) catalysts and solvents; and
(h) any other goods that are not incorporated into the good but whose use in the growth, production, or manufacture of the good can reasonably be demonstrated to be a part of that growth, production, or manufacture;
material means a good, including a part or ingredient, that is used in the growth, production, or manufacture of another good that is a new or different article of commerce that has been grown, produced, or manufactured in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
material produced in the territory of one or both of the Parties means a good that is either wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of one or both of the Parties or a new or different article of commerce that has been grown, produced, or manufactured in the territory of one or both of the Parties;
recovered goods means materials in the form of individual parts that are the result of: (1) the disassembly of used goods into individual parts; and (2) the cleaning, inspecting, testing, or other processing of those parts as necessary for improvement to sound working condition;
remanufactured goods means industrial goods assembled in the territory of a Party that: (1) are entirely or partially comprised of recovered goods; (2) have similar life expectancies as new goods; and (3) enjoy similar factory warranties as such new goods;
simple combining or packaging operations means operations such as adding batteries to devices, fitting together a small number of components by bolting, gluing, or soldering, and repacking or packaging components together; and
substantially transformed means, with respect to a good or material, changed as the result of a manufacturing or processing operation where: (1) the good or material has multiple uses and is converted into a good or material with limited uses; (2) the physical properties of the good or material are changed to a significant extent; or (3) the operation undergone by the good or material is complex in terms of the number of different processes and materials involved, as well as the time and level of skill required to perform these processes, and the good or material loses its separate identity in the resulting, new good or material.
Chapter Five. CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION
Article 5.1. PUBLICATION
1. Each Party shall publish, including on the Internet, its customs laws, regulations, and administrative procedures.
2. Each Party shall designate one or more inquiry points to address inquiries from interested persons concerning customs matters and shall make available on the Internet information concerning procedures for making such inquiries.
3. Further to Article 18.1 (Publication) and to the extent possible, each Party shall publish in advance any regulations of general application governing customs matters that it proposes to adopt and shall provide interested persons the opportunity to comment on such proposed regulations prior to their adoption.
Article 5.2. RELEASE OF GOODS
Each Party Shall:
(a) adopt or maintain procedures providing for the release of goods within a period no greater than that required to ensure compliance with its customs laws and, to the extent possible, within 48 hours of arrival;
(b) adopt or maintain procedures allowing goods to be released at the point of arrival, without interim transfer to warehouses or other facilities;
(c) adopt or maintain procedures allowing the release of goods prior to, and without prejudice to, the final determination by its customs authority of the applicable customs duties, taxes, and fees, and as part of such procedures may require an importer to provide sufficient guarantee in the form of a surety or other appropriate instrument to ensure payment of any customs duties, taxes, and fees that may ultimately be assessed; and
(d) otherwise endeavor to adopt or maintain simplified procedures for the release of goods.
Article 5.3. AUTOMATION
Each Party's customs authority shall:
(a) endeavor to use information technology that expedites procedures for the importation of goods; and
(b) in deciding on the information technology to be used for this purpose, take into account international standards.
Article 5.4. RISK ASSESSMENT
Each Party shall endeavor to adopt or maintain risk management systems that enable its customs authority to concentrate inspection activities on high-risk goods and that simplify the clearance and movement of low-risk goods.
Article 5.5. COOPERATION
1. Each Party shall endeavor to provide the other Party with advance notice of any significant modification of administrative policy regarding the implementation of its customs laws that is likely to substantially affect the operation of this Agreement.
2. The Parties shall cooperate in achieving compliance with their laws and regulations pertaining to:
(a) the implementation and operation of the provisions of this Agreement relating to the importation of goods, including Chapter Four (Rules of Origin) and this Chapter;
(b) the implementation and operation of the Customs Valuation Agreement;
(c) restrictions or prohibitions on imports or exports; or
(d) such other matters relating to the importation or exportation of goods as the Parties may agree.
3. Where a Party has a reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity related to its laws or regulations governing importation, the Party may request that the other Party provide specific confidential information that pertains to that activity and that is normally collected by the other Party in connection with the importation of goods. The Party shall make its request in writing, shall identify the requested information with specificity sufficient to enable the other Party to locate it, and shall specify the purposes for which the information is sought.
4. The other Party shall respond by providing any information that it has collected that is material to the request.
5. For purposes of paragraph 3, a reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity means a suspicion based on relevant factual information obtained from public or private sources, including:
(a) historical evidence that a specific importer, exporter, producer, or other enterprise involved in the movement of goods from the territory of one Party to the territory of the other Party has not complied with a Party's laws or regulations governing importation;
(b) historical evidence that some or all of the enterprises involved in the movement from the territory of one Party to the territory of the other Party of goods within a specific product sector have not complied with a Party's laws or regulations governing importation; or
(c) other information that the Parties agree is sufficient in the context of a particular request.
6. Each Party shall endeavor to provide the other Party with any other information that would assist in determining whether imports from or exports to the territory of the other Party are in compliance with the other Party's laws and regulations governing importation, in particular those related to the prevention of unlawful shipments.
7. The United States shall endeavor to provide Oman with technical advice and assistance for the purpose of improving risk assessment techniques, simplifying and expediting customs procedures, advancing technical skills, and enhancing the use of technologies that can lead to improved compliance with laws and regulations governing importation.
8. Building on the procedures established in this Article, the Parties shall use best efforts to explore additional means of cooperation to enhance each Party's ability to enforce its laws and regulations governing importation, including by:
(a) endeavoring to conclude a mutual assistance agreement between their respective customs authorities within one year after the date of entry into force of this Agreement; and
(b) considering whether to establish additional channels of communication to facilitate the secure and rapid exchange of information and to improve coordination on customs issues.
Article 5.6. CONFIDENTIALITY
1. Where a Party providing information to the other Party in accordance with this Chapter designates the information as confidential, the other Party shall maintain the confidentiality of the information. The Party providing the information may require written assurances from the other Party that the information will be held in confidence, will be used only for the purposes specified in the other Party's request for information, and will not be disclosed without the Party's specific permission. The Parties may agree that the information may be used or disclosed for law enforcement purposes or in the context of judicial proceedings.
2. A Party may decline to provide confidential information requested by the other Party where the other Party has failed to act in conformity with assurances provided under paragraph 1.
3. Each Party shall adopt or maintain procedures that protect confidential information submitted in connection with the administration of its customs laws and regulations from unauthorized disclosure, including information the disclosure of which could prejudice the competitive position of the person providing the information.
Article 5.7. EXPRESS SHIPMENTS
Each Party shall adopt or maintain separate, expedited customs procedures for express shipments, including procedures:
(a) that allow the information necessary for the release of express shipments to be submitted electronically;
(b) in which the information necessary for the release of an express shipment may be submitted, and processed by the Party's customs authority, before the shipment arrives;
(c) allowing a shipper to submit a single manifest covering all goods contained in an express shipment;
(d) that, to the extent possible, minimize the documentation required for the release of express shipments; (e) that, under normal circumstances, allow for an express shipment that has arrived at a point of importation to be released no later than six hours after the submission of the information necessary for release;
(f) that apply without regard to weight or customs value; and
(g) that provide, under normal circumstances, that no customs duties or taxes will be assessed on, nor will formal entry documents be required for, express shipments valued at US$200 or less. (1)
Article 5.8. REVIEW AND APPEAL
Each Party shall ensure that with respect to a determination of the Party on customs matters, the importer in its territory has access to:
(a) administrative review independent of the official or office that issued the determination; and
(b) judicial review of the determination.
Article 5.9. PENALTIES
Each Party shall adopt or maintain measures that provide for the imposition of civil, administrative, and, where appropriate, criminal sanctions for violations of its customs laws, including its laws governing tariff classification, customs valuation, country of origin, and the entitlement to preferential tariff treatment.
Article 5.10. ADVANCE RULINGS
1. Each Party shall issue written advance rulings prior to the importation of a good into its territory at the written request of an importer in its territory, or an exporter or producer in the territory of the other Party, on the basis of the facts and circumstances set forth by the requester, concerning:
(a) tariff classification;
(b) the application of customs valuation criteria, including the criteria in the Customs Valuation Agreement;
(c) duty drawback;
(d) whether a good qualifies as an originating good; and
(e) whether a good qualifies for duty-free treatment in accordance with Article 2.6 (Goods Re-Entered After Repair or Alteration).
2. Each Party shall provide that its customs authority shall issue advance rulings within 150 days of a request, provided that the requester has submitted all necessary information.
3. Each Party shall provide that advance rulings shall be valid from their date of issuance, or such other date specified by the ruling, for at least three years, provided that the facts and circumstances (including laws and regulations) on which the ruling is based remain unchanged.
4. The issuing Party may modify or revoke an advance ruling when facts or circumstances warrant, such as where the information on which the ruling is based is false or inaccurate.
5. Where an importer claims that the treatment accorded to an imported good should be governed by an advance ruling, the customs authority may evaluate whether the facts and circumstances of the importation are consistent with the facts and circumstances upon which the advance ruling was based.
6. Each Party shall make its advance rulings publicly available, subject to confidentiality requirements in its law.
7. lf a requester provides false information or omits relevant circumstances or facts in its request for an advance ruling, or does not act in accordance with the ruling's terms and conditions, the importing Party may apply appropriate measures, including civil, criminal, and administrative penalties or other sanctions.
8. For purposes of this Article, advance ruling means a written response by a Party to a request made in accordance with this Article, setting forth the official position of the Party on the interpretation of its relevant laws and regulations pertaining to a matter referenced in paragraph 1(a) through (e), as applied to a specific, prospective customs transaction.
9. This Article shall apply to Oman beginning two years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement.
Article 5.11. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
1. Within 120 days after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the Parties shall consult and establish a work program on procedures that Oman may adopt to implement Article 5.10 and shall consult on technical assistance that the United States may provide to assist Oman in that endeavor.
2. Not later than 18 months after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the Parties shall consult on Oman's progress in implementing Article 5.10 and on whether to undertake further cooperative activities.
Chapter Six. SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES
Article 6.1. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this Chapter are to protect human, animal, or plant life or health in the Parties' territories, enhance the Parties' implementation of the SPS Agreement, and provide a forum for addressing sanitary and phytosanitary matters.
Article 6.2. SCOPE AND COVERAGE
This Chapter applies to all sanitary and phytosanitary measures of a Party that may, directly or indirectly, affect trade between the Parties.
Article 6.3. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. the Parties Affirm Their Existing Rights and Obligations with Respect to Each other Under the SPS Agreement.
2. The Parties affirm their desire to provide a forum for addressing sanitary and phytosanitary matters affecting trade between the Parties, through the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 19.2 (Joint Committee) or a subcommittee established thereunder.
3. Neither Party may have recourse to dispute settlement under this Agreement for any matter arising under this Chapter.
Article 6.4. DEFINITION for Purposes of this Chapter:
sanitary or phytosanitary measure means any measure referred to in Annex A, paragraph 1, of the SPS Agreement.
Chapter Seven. TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE
Article 7.1. SCOPE AND COVERAGE
1. This Chapter applies to all standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures of the central level of government that may, directly or indirectly, affect trade in goods between the Parties.
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, this Chapter does not apply to:
(a) technical specifications prepared by governmental bodies for production or consumption requirements of such bodies; or
(b) sanitary and phytosanitary measures as defined in Annex A of the SPS Agreement.
Article 7.2. AFFIRMATION OF THE TBT AGREEMENT
Further to Article 1.2 (Relation to Other Agreements), the Parties affirm their existing rights and obligations with respect to each other under the TBT Agreement.
Article 7.3. INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
In determining whether an international standard, guide, or recommendation within the meaning of Articles 2 and 5 and Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement exists, each Party shall apply the principles set out inDecisions and Recommendations adopted by the Committee since 1 January 1995, G/TBT/1/Rev.8, 23 May 2002, Section IX (Decision of the Committee on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations with relation to Articles 2, 5 and Annex 3 of the Agreement), issued by the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade.
Article 7.4. TRADE FACILITATION
The Parties shall intensify their joint work in the field of standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures with a view to facilitating access to each other's markets. In particular, the Parties shall seek to identify trade facilitating bilateral initiatives regarding standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures that are appropriate for particular issues or sectors. Such initiatives may include cooperation on regulatory issues, such as alignment with international standards and use of accreditation to qualify conformity assessment bodies.
Article 7.5. CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
1. Each Party recognizes that a broad range of mechanisms exists to facilitate the acceptance of conformity assessment procedures conducted in the other Party's territory. For example:
(a) the importing Party may recognize the results of conformity assessment procedures conducted in the territory of the other Party;
(b) conformity assessment bodies located in each Party's territory may enter into voluntary arrangements to accept the results of the other's assessment procedures;
(c) a Party may adopt accreditation procedures for qualifying conformity assessment bodies located in the territory of the other Party;
(d) a Party may designate conformity assessment bodies located in the territory of the other Party; and
(e) the importing Party may rely on a supplier's declaration of conformity.
The Parties shall intensify their exchange of information on these and similar mechanisms.
2. Where a Party does not accept the results of a conformity assessment procedure conducted in the territory of the other Party, it shall, on request of the other Party, explain the reasons for its decision.