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U.S. Market General Report

General Information
Country	United States of America
Population	298,444,215 inhabitants (July 2006 estimate) (Source: FedEx GTM)
Capital City	Washington D.C. (District of Columbia)
Area	3,716,829.126 sq. miles (50 States and D.C.)
Government	Federal Republic
Currency	US Dollar
Official Language	English

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRADING WITH THE UNITED STATES
The U.S.is one of the world’s leading economies: its approximately 298 million inhabitants, and its high per capita income rate make it a frontline consumer market for the supply and trade of goods and services. This fact can be checked at the site http://tse.export.gov which, for example, includes a detailed listing of volumes, characteristics, and types of products traded between the United Statesand other countries. The main U.S.imports are: mineral fuels and oils, nuclear reactors, machines and components, electric machinery, vehicles and spare parts, among others. The main source markets are: Canada , China , Mexico , Japan and Germany.

Requirements for the introduction of foreign products
The U.S., as a federal republic, has taxes levied by the national authority as well as those corresponding to each specific state and county with the legal capacity to levy taxes. Furthermore, there are specific regulations issued by national agencies and others issued by state and county authorities.

- Tariffs
The tariffs which apply to the introduction of products in the USAmarket are regulated in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States- HTS(www.usitc.gov), in which each item is classified according to the tariff schedule.

- Requested Customs documents
• Entry manifest (For air and truck).
• Application and Special Permit for Immediate Delivery prior to the formal entry being carried out.
• Commercial invoice in English, or proforma invoice when the commercial one cannot be issued. For further information, please refer to the publication “Importing into the United States” in the http://www.cbp.gov/ web page under the section Publications.
• Air waybill for air shipment.
• Packing list, if applicable.

Once the documents have been submitted and the goods have been released, an entry summary must be issued. Customs duties should be deposited at the port within 10 working days from the date the goods were entered and released.

For more information about additional documents that must be submitted according to each type of good, please contact FedEx® Global Trade Manager.
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- Certifications
Before beginning an export process of special products, it is suggested to contact the following standards and certification agencies:

• Department of Agriculture (USDA). For shipments of vegetables and meat products. www.aphis.usda.gov
• Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms-ATF - www.atf.gov
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) www.fda.gov
• The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S.A.authority for registering trademarks and patents. www.uspto.gov

Bio-terrorism
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the agency in charge of enforcing some provisions of the Bio-terrorism Act (issued in 2002), especially those referring to the secure supply of food and drugs. For updates, please visit the site www.fda.gov regularly.

General labeling and packaging requirements for U.S.imports
Every product imported into the U.S.must comply with specific regulations regarding its labeling and packaging as defined by the relevant official agencies. Nevertheless, information such as the product’s country of origin must be present in all the imported goods.

U.S.and Free-trade agreements
The international trade of the U.S.market is based on free-trade principles. Accordingly, the U.S. Government has signed several free-trade agreements with different countries.

Trade Fairs and Conventions
The U.S.market attracts the leading trade fairs and events in different business areas. A complete calendar of trade fairs and events can be found at:

Tsnn.com: http://www.tsnn.com/
Tradeshow Week Online: http://www.tradeshowweek.com/

If you are searching for U.S.companies, the following sites are available for reference:

Dun & Bradstreet’s free website
http://www.dnb.com/us/

Yellow pages
http://www.yellowpages.com/Index.aspx

Thomas Register
http://www.thomasregister.com/

Hoover’s
http://www.hoovers.com/free/

If you wish to obtain further information about exporting goods to the U.S. , please visit the site of the U.S.Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (Amchams). http://www.aaccla.org/