Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) Consulting

WTDC offers these consulting services:

Foreign Trade Zone application
Foreign Trade Zone activation
U.S. Customs Bonded Warehouse application
U.S. Customs Bonded Warehouse activation
Duty drawback
Logistics software implementation
Standard operating procedures
TTB, FDA, and other government registrations
Supply chain design, implementation, and management

FTZ Advantages

Foreign Trade Zones have a number of benefits that improve supply chain efficiency and create cost savings, including:

Duty Deferral (cash flow)
Duties, Federal Excise Tax, Trade Remedies paid only when imported merchandise is shipped into U.S. Customs territory
Self filer – Electronically file CBP documents without a Customs broker
Comingle domestic & FTZ inventory under one roof
Weekly Entry – Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF)
Only one MPF paid per week. Max weekly entry is capped ay $614.35.
Harbor Maintenance Fee – Fees are paid quarterly, not upon U.S. Customs Entry

About FOreign TRade Zones

Import/Export companies of duty free proucts, food, electronics, electrical components, IT and networking equipment, as well as automobile and tractor parts companies are are ideal candidates for FTZ status in South Florida. Miami-Dade County has the highest concentration of Foreign Trade Zones in the USA. Thanks to Miami’s geographic location and its logistics infrastructure, Miami has been dubbed “The Gateway to the Americas.”

WTDC has assisted with the FTZ application and activation process of numerous Foreign Trade Zones in Miami-Dade County. WTDC was the first FTZ in Miami-Dade County to take advantage of the Alternative Site Framework (ASF) for PortMiami’s FTZ 281. WTDC became an active FTZ on December 12, 2012.

FTZ APPLICATION AND ACTIVATION CONSULTING

Application process with Grantee & Foreign Trade Zones Board
Activation with Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Implementation of operational procedures and CBP compliance protocols

Initial Consultation – WTDC works with our clients to evaluate if Foreign Trade Zone status is a good fit for their operation. Following a meeting where we review the operation and facility, WTDC will prepare a proposal for our services as well as an outline of fees due to other parties as part of the process. As an operator, we can offer further insight on the day to day expectations of a Foreign Trade Zone, not just assistance in compiling the application.

Application – WTDC works with clients – the Operator – to prepare an FTZ Application to be processed by the Grantee. An Operator is a corporation or partnership that maintains and operates the Zone at the permission of the Grantee and in compliance with U.S. Customs. A Grantee is a public or private entity that has the authority to establish, operate, or maintain a Zone. The most popular FTZ option for companies looking to operate their own independent FTZ in Miami would be to apply to Miami-Dade County’s FTZ 281 – PortMiami is the Grantee. There are fees due to the County for the Application and then due annually in order operate the FTZ in good standing. The completed Application is then sent by the Grantee to the Foreign Trade Zones Board for approval. The Foreign Trade Zones Board is within the Department of Commerce. Following this approval, a contract will be drafted by the County to bind the Operator and the Grantee.

Following the Foreign Trade Zones Board approval and contract with the Grantee, the Operator will prepare another application to U.S Customs. This application is more in-depth than the Grantee application and will take cooperation between the Operator and WTDC. The CBP Application includes all the systems and processes detailing how the Operator will receive, store, and release cargo in compliance with U.S. Customs.