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The Agreement provides for 100% coverage of Singapore's domestic exports to the US and the removal of the tariffs as shown in this table:
| Stage of Tariff Elimination (General Notes of Annex 2B) |
| Category |
Tariff Reduction Stages |
Date of entry into US duty-free |
| A |
Immediate elimination |
1 January 2004 |
| B |
4 equal annual stages |
1 January 2008 |
| C |
8 equal annual stages |
1 January 2012 |
| D |
10 equal annual stages |
1 January 2014 |
| E |
No staging |
Already enter the US duty-free, regardless of origin |
| G |
No staging, immediate elimination |
1 January 2004 (and without bond) |
| H |
Subject to the appropriate staging schedule of the product as specified |
1 January 2014 |
Under the USSFTA, each party shall progressively eliminate its customs duties on originating goods of the other Party in accordance with Annexes 2B (US Schedule) and 2C (Singapore Schedule). A party shall not adopt or maintain a merchandise processing fee for originating goods.
It is the importer who makes a claim for preferential treatment. The information regarding its qualification as originating good has to be submitted by the exporter to the importer. The Singapore exporter has to self-certify that the product originated from Singapore. There is no prescribed format for the self-certification.
To verify whether a particular good can be exported to the US, the Singapore exporter could consult the Singapore Customs. (website: www.customs.gov.sg) |