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What regulations apply to importing cosmetics, soap, lotion, shampoo, medical and dental instruments for resale /commercial purposes?
Imports of cosmetics and medical instruments are governed by the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which is administered by the Food and Drug Administration. All commercial imports of these items are subject to approval by the FDA, prior to being cleared by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). If FDA refuses entry of these goods, CBP will not release them. Therefore, it is pertinent that importers of these products consult with FDA, to ensure they are in compliance with their regulations. The FDA can be reached at (301) 443-6553 or www.fda.gov. From a CBP standpoint, a formal entry must be filed, which requires the importer to obtain a Customs bond CBP Form 301, and submit it along with an entry summary, bill of lading, and bill of sale or commercial invoice. These entry documents must be submitted to CBP within 5 working days of the goods arrival, either by the importer or their Customs broker. CBP does not notify importers of goods arrival, that is the responsibility of the carrier. If entry is not filed by the 15th day after the goods arrival, they will be transferred to a General Order (GO) warehouse, and subject to storage fees. If they remain in GO beyond 60 days, they will be sold at public auction. Customs bonds can be purchased through sureties licensed by the Treasury department. A list may be found on Treasury's Financial Management Service's web site at www.fms.treas.gov - the list is identified as Circular 570. Many CBP brokers are also agents for sureties and sell bonds, please see www.cbp.gov the ports locations section for a list of licensed brokers. Harmonized tariff codes and duty rates for cosmetics can be found in chapter 34 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule at http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/. Medical instruments and tools can be found in chapter 90. Additional import regulations and procedures can be obtained by referencing the U.S. Import Requirements, Importing into the United States, and Marking of Country of Origin publications, which are under the Publications section of the website.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
http://www.fda.gov
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