Whether you are a huge business that is looking to start importing goods into the United States or a small business that is considering importing a number of foreign goods into the United States and reselling them, the process of importing goods is the same for each business. Importing goods into the United States is a fairly complex and hard to understand concept but there are some basic ideas and principles that go along with the idea of importing goods into the United States.
Here are a few quick facts about importing goods into the United States that will give you a basic idea of the whole process.
Tax and Tariff Collection. Most goods that are coming into the United States will require that a tax or tariff be paid on them. The United States Customs and Boarder offices will collect the taxes or tariffs on behalf of the United States government.
Business ID Required. There are no specific certificates or licenses that needs to be held by a business to import goods into the United States. However, the business does need to have a valid Business Tax ID.
Licenses are Required on Some Goods. While an actual license is not required to import all the goods into the United States there are specific goods and items that will require that you file for an import license. Most of these goods include food products, plants or animals.
Two Entry Types. There is an informal and a formal entry process. While both processes bring the goods into the United States the process of the formal entry can take a lot longer due to the number of rules and regulations that must be followed. Informal entries can be quicker because the assessment process is all done in one step and is not a two step process like the formal entry.