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OTEXA FTA COMMERCIAL AVAILABILTY

FTA Commercial Availability

Free Trade Agreements allow textile and apparel goods duty-free entry into the U.S. if the goods meet the rule of origin. The textile and apparel rule of origin for these programs and agreements is commonly known as the “yarn-forward” standard, which requires that the yarn production and all operations “forward” (i.e., fabric production through apparel assembly) occur in either the United States and/or the partner country. However, fibers, yarns, and fabrics determined not to be available in commercial quantities in a timely manner may be sourced from outside the countries for use in qualifying textile and apparel products. For example, a fabric that is determined not to be commercially available may come from a third party, be cut-and-assembled into a garment in the partner country, and imported to the U.S. duty-free.

FAQs, Commercial Availability Process for the FTAs with Australia, Bahrain, Canada and Mexico (USMCA), Chile, Korea, Morocco, Oman, and Singapore

02/11/2021 – Issuance of Temporary Waiver of CITA’s Procedures Requiring Receipt of Original Signed Submissions in Commercial Availability Proceedings.  Interested entities planning to file a commercial availability request should contact Laurie Mease (Laurie.Mease@trade.gov) for instructions before submitting any documents (either public or confidential versions) to CITA.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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