State Department Posts List of Cuban Goods and Services Eligible for Importation into the US

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U.S. Department of State Feb 17, 2015

On February 13, 2015, the State Department Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs posted on its website a list of goods and services produced by independent Cuban entrepreneurs that are eligible for importation into the United States pursuant to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations 31 C.F.R. § 515.582.  The new “Section 515.582 List” is reproduced below. A Fact Sheet has also been posted.

Goods

The goods whose import is authorized by Section 515.582 are goods produced by independent Cuban entrepreneurs, as demonstrated by documentary evidence, that are imported into the United States directly from Cuba, except for goods specified in the following sections/chapters of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS):

• Section I: Live Animals; Animal Products
  • All chapters
• Section II: Vegetable Products
  • All chapters
• Section III: Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes
  • All chapters
• Section IV: Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits, and Vinegar; Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes
  • All chapters
• Section V: Mineral Products
  • All chapters
• Section VI: Products of the Chemical or Allied Industries
  • Chapters 28-32; 35-36, 38
• Section XI: Textile and Textile Articles
  • Chapters 51-52
• Section XV: Base Metals and Articles of Base Metal
  • Chapters 72-81
• Section XVI: Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Electrical Equipment; Parts Thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of Such Articles
  • All chapters
• Section XVII: Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels, and Associated Transportation Equipment
  • All chapters
• Section XIX: Arms and Ammunition; Parts and Accessories Thereof
  • All chapters

Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction engaging in import transactions involving goods produced by an independent Cuban entrepreneur pursuant to § 515.582 must obtain documentary evidence that demonstrates the entrepreneur’s independent status, such as a copy of a license to be self-employed issued by the Cuban government or, in the case of an entity, evidence that demonstrates that the entrepreneur is a private entity that is not owned or controlled by the Cuban government.

This list does not supersede or excuse compliance with any additional requirements in U.S. law or regulation, including the relevant duties as set forth on the HTS.

For travelers importing authorized goods into the United States pursuant to § 515.582 as accompanied baggage, the $400 monetary limit set forth in § 515.560(c)(3) does not apply to such goods, but goods may be subject to applicable duties, fees, and taxes.

Services

The authorized services pursuant to 31 CFR 515.582 are services supplied by an independent Cuban entrepreneur in Cuba, as demonstrated by documentary evidence. Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction engaging in import transactions involving services supplied by an independent Cuban entrepreneur pursuant to § 515.582 are required to obtain documentary evidence that demonstrates the entrepreneur’s independent status, such as a copy of a license to be self-employed issued by the Cuban government or, in the case of an entity, evidence that demonstrates that the entrepreneur is a private entity that is not owned or controlled by the Cuban government. Supply of services must comply with other applicable state and federal laws.

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