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.
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.
