Week of October 12, 2007

Greetings! Hope you have had a pleasant and productive week! This week's offerings include an overview of TTB's role in international trade and information on importing beverage alcohol samples.

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In the TTB Newsletter, we compile the top TTB news of the week and other helpful information about the Bureau and the Federal alcohol and tobacco laws and regulations we enforce. Please send any questions and/or comments to Susan Stewart Evans, Executive Liaison for Industry Matters (susan.stewart-evans@ttb.gov) and/or Frosty Chapman, State Liaison (forrest.chapman@ttb.gov). TTB Newsletter Archives

INTERNATIONAL TRADE DIVISION COMMITMENT TO U.S. INDUSTRY MEMBERS

The International Trade Division (ITD) acts as TTB's liaison on issues related to alcohol beverages, tobacco, and industrial alcohol in the international arena; and facilitates the import/export trade in beverage and industrial alcohol.

ITD views trade promotion as an extension of TTB's policies with regard to the industry, especially when considering the overall Treasury mission of promoting the conditions for prosperity and stability in the United States and encouraging prosperity and stability in the rest of the world.

As such, ITD is committed to assisting industry members in their efforts to become successful importers and exporters. To this end, we maintain a section on our Web site, http://www.ttb.gov/itd/, which provides potential importers and exporters with a "checklist" of U.S. import and export requirements. The Export Requirements page contains commodity-specific export information, including a listing of any necessary forms that you must file with TTB.

TTB also maintains an International Import/Export Requirements Guide, which provides potential exporters with resources on foreign markets, including contacts, taxes and tariff information, as well as required export documents and import procedures.

For ease of communication, the ITD is divided into various "teams," which also allows inquirers to obtain a wealth of region-specific information relating to the country they plan to export to/import from. Please contact a member of our staff for any questions you may have. You may also contact the ITD by e-mail at itd@ttb.gov, or by phone at (202) 927-8110.

IMPORTING BEVERAGE ALCOHOL SAMPLES

Beverage alcohol importers often import product samples for various purposes, such as consideration of products for their portfolio, soliciting orders from buyers, or for use at trade shows. These samples must have either (a) an approved Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) or (b) a waiver from the COLA requirements from TTB, which is provided specifically for sample purposes. Importers are encouraged to obtain COLA approval for their products if they intend to import large quantities of samples or if the importer is likely to import the actual product for sale in the near future. Importers who prefer to obtain a waiver from the COLA requirements may do so in the form of a letter request, which can be faxed or mailed to TTB.

The letter request must include:

• The specific type and quantity of each alcohol beverage. "Type" for wine means identification as "red wine," "white wine," "sparkling wine," and/or identification with a varietal if the wine is so labeled; for distilled spirits, the type means, for example, "rum," "brandy," "vodka," etc., as appropriate; for malt beverages, type means "beer," "ale," "porter," etc., as appropriate.
• The country of origin of each product
• The brand name of each product
• The purpose for importing the samples (if for a specific event, include dates and location)
• The Federal Importer's Basic Permit number
• The letter must also include a statement that the following conditions will be met:
  • The products will be imported by the holder of a Federal Importer's Basic Permit
  • All applicable taxes and duties will be paid
  • A sticker will be affixed to every container (bottle or box) which reads, "For Trade Show (or Sample) Purposes Only - Not for Sale"
  • A label will be affixed to every container which bears the Health Warning Statement in accordance with 27 CFR part 16
  • In the case of wine, an additional label will be affixed which reads, "Contains Sulfites"

A template of this letter is available for download at: http://www.ttb.gov/itd/importing_samples.shtml.

You may mail or fax the letter request to the address or fax number below. Please do not mail a copy of a waiver that has been already sent by fax or vice-versa.

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Attn: International Trade Division
1310 G St. NW, Suite 400W
Washington, DC 20220
Fax:  202-435-7020

It is the responsibility of the importer to ensure that the product in question does not enter into interstate or intrastate commerce without having received an approved COLA.

If you have any questions, please contact the International Trade Division at (202) 927-8110, or by e-mail at ITD@ttb.gov/.