"Korea Customs Service Allows Onboard Export Declarations for Steel Pipes as Part of U.S. Tariff Response"

Onboard export declarations for steel pipes (HS codes 7304 to 7306) will now be permitted. This measure is intended to ease the burden on exporting companies in response to tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration.

The Korea Customs Service announced that, starting May 30, the "Notice on Export and Return Customs Clearance" will be revised and implemented to allow onboard export declarations for domestically produced steel pipe products.

An onboard export declaration is a system that, in consideration of the characteristics of export goods, allows an exception to the usual requirement of loading goods onto a vessel only after an export declaration has been accepted. Instead, it permits goods to be loaded onto the vessel first and the export declaration to be made afterward.

The decision to allow onboard export declarations for steel pipe products is part of the Korea Customs Service’s special support policies for businesses in response to the United States. The aim is to assist the domestic steel industry, which has faced increased burdens since the U.S. administration imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum starting in March.

As a result, companies exporting steel pipes will now be able to quickly load goods onto vessels before their export declarations are accepted. The Korea Customs Service expects this will ensure a smooth shipping process without work stoppages caused by corrections to export declarations or document verification.

In particular, given that the loading order of steel pipes must be maintained according to their weight and size, a delay in a single shipment can affect the entire workflow. This policy improvement is therefore expected to effectively prevent chain delays in loading, which will in turn help reduce logistics costs for exporters.

A Korea Customs Service official stated, "We will continue to listen to the voices from the export field and strive to provide tailored policy support so that difficulties faced by domestic companies in the export process can be resolved quickly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.