19 CFR § 10.91 - Prototypes used exclusively for product development and testing.
(a) Duty-free entry; declaration of use; extension of liquidation—(1) Entry or withdrawal for consumption. Articles defined as “prototypes” and meeting the other requirements prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section may be entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, duty-free, under subheading 9817.85.01, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), on CBP Form 7501 or an electronic equivalent. A separate entry or withdrawal must be made for a qualifying prototype article each time the article is imported/reimported to the United States.
(2) Importer declaration—(i) Entry accepted as declaration. Entry or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01 may be accepted by the Center director as an effective declaration that the articles will be used solely for the purposes stated in the subheading.
(ii) Proof (declaration) of actual use. If it is believed the circumstances so warrant, the Center director may request the submission of proof of actual use, executed and dated by the importer. The title of the party executing the proof of actual use must be set forth. If proof of actual use is requested, the importer must provide it within three years after the date the article is entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption. Liquidation of the related entry may be extended until the requested proof or declaration of actual use is received or until the three-year period from the date of entry allowed for the receipt of such proof has expired. While requested proof of use must be given to CBP within three years of the date of entry, the prototype may continue to be used thereafter for the purposes enumerated in HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01. If requested proof of use is not timely received, the entry will be liquidated as dutiable under the tariff provision that would otherwise apply to the imported article. While there is no particular form for this declaration, it may either be submitted in writing, or electronically as authorized by CBP, and must include the following:
(A) A description of the use that is being and/or that has been made of the articles set forth in sufficient detail so as to enable the Center director to determine whether the articles have been entitled to entry as claimed;
(B) A statement that the articles have not and are not to be put to any other use after the articles have been entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption and prior to the completion of their use under HTSUS 9817.85.01 (also see paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section concerning the disposition(s) to which the articles may be put following their use under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01); and
(C) A statement that the articles or any parts of the articles have not been and are not intended to be sold, or incorporated into other products that are sold, after the articles have been entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption and prior to the completion of their use as provided in HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01 (see paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section).
(b) Articles classifiable as prototypes—(1) Prototypes defined. In accordance with U.S. Note 6(a) to subchapter XVII of chapter 98, HTSUS, applicable to subheading 9817.85.01, the term “prototypes” means originals or models of articles pertaining to any industry that:
(i) Are either in the preproduction, production or postproduction stage and are to be used exclusively for development, testing, product evaluation, or quality control purposes (not including automobile racing for purse, prize or commercial competition); and
(ii) In the case of originals or models of articles that are either in the production or postproduction stage, are associated with a design change from current production (including a refinement, advancement, improvement, development or quality control in either the product itself or the means of producing the product).
(2) Additional requirements. In accordance with U.S. Note 6(b) and (c) to subchapter XVII of chapter 98, HTSUS, applicable to subheading 9817.85.01, the following additional restrictions apply to articles that may be classified as prototypes:
(i) Importations limited. Prototypes may be imported pursuant to this section only in limited noncommercial quantities in accordance with industry practice.
(ii) Sale prohibited after entry and prior to use. Prototypes or parts of prototypes may not be sold, or be incorporated into other products that are sold into the commerce of the United States, after the prototypes have been entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01, except that, after having been used for the purposes for which they were entered or withdrawn from warehouse under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01, such prototypes or any part(s) of the prototypes may be sold as scrap, waste, or for recycling, as prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.
(iii) Articles subject to laws of another agency. Articles that are subject to licensing requirements, or that must comply with laws, rules or regulations administered by an agency other than CBP before being imported, may be entered as prototypes pursuant to this section if they meet all applicable provisions of law and otherwise meet the definition of prototypes in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(iv) Articles excluded from being prototypes. Articles that are in fact subject at the time of entry to quantitative restrictions, antidumping orders or countervailing duty orders are excluded from being classified as prototypes under this section.
(c) Sale of prototype following use—(1) Sale. Prototypes or any part(s) of prototypes, after having been used for the purposes for which they were entered or withdrawn under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01, may only be sold as scrap, waste, or for recycling. This includes a prototype or any part thereof that is incorporated into another product, as scrap, waste, or recycled material. If sold as scrap, waste, or for recycling, applicable duty must be paid on the prototypes or parts as provided in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, at the rate of duty in effect for such scrap, waste, or recycled materials at the time the prototypes were entered or withdrawn for consumption.
(2) Notice of sale required. If, after a prototype has been used for the purposes contemplated in HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01, the prototype or any part(s) of the prototype (including a prototype or any part that is incorporated into another product) is sold as scrap, waste, or for recycling, the importer must provide notice of such sale to CBP, either at the port of entry or electronically. A notice, in the manner authorized in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, must be submitted in connection with the sale, whether or not duty is payable. The notice should not be submitted prior to the submission of proof of actual use, should such proof of actual use be requested by the Center director (see paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section).
(3) Form and content of notice; tender of duty. While no particular form is required for the notice of sale, a consumption entry (CBP Form 7501), appropriately modified, or an electronic equivalent as authorized by CBP, may be used for this purpose. The notice may be a blanket notice covering all those sales described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section that occur over a quarterly (3-month) calendar period. Such notice must be filed within 10 business days of the end of the related quarterly period in which the sale(s) occurred. If an article sold is dutiable, the payment of any duty due must be forwarded together with the notice (see paragraph (c)(1) of this section). If the notice is filed electronically, payment of any duty owed will be handled through the Automated Clearinghouse (see § 24.25 of this chapter). The notice of sale must be executed by the importer, or other person having knowledge of the facts surrounding the sale, and must include the following:
(i) The identity of the prototype; the consumption entry number under which it was imported; a copy of the declaration of actual use, if proof of actual use was requested under paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section; and a detailed description of the condition of the prototype following use for the intended permissible purposes, including any damage, degradation or deterioration to the article resulting from such use and/or otherwise resulting to the article from any other cause prior to its sale for scrap, waste, or recycling;
(ii) The name and address of the party to whom the article was sold, and (if known) the use to which the party intends to put the article;
(iii) The HTSUS subheading number for scrap, waste, or recycled material, as applicable, claimed in connection with the sale of the prototype, together with the corresponding rate of duty in effect at the time the prototype was originally imported for consumption;
(iv) The value of the prototype article (if dutiable and the duty owed is based upon value) (see paragraph (e)(2) of this section); and
(v) The title of the party executing the declaration and the date of execution.
(d) Prototypes not sold following use. As to those prototypes or parts of prototypes that, after having been used as prescribed under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01, are disposed of otherwise than by sale (see paragraph (c)(1) of this section), there is no requirement that the importer notify CBP of any such alternative disposition. Nor are there any dutiable consequences that ensue from any disposition of the merchandise after the merchandise's use under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01 other than sale to the extent authorized under paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
(e) Recordkeeping; retention and production—(1) Recordkeeping. The importer must be prepared to submit to the CBP officer, if requested, any information, including any supporting documents, reports and records, as was necessary for the preparation of the declaration of use, if the declaration of use was requested under paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, and the notice of sale, if applicable under paragraph (c)(3) of this section. The notices, together with any related supporting evidence, may be subject to such verification as the Center director reasonably deems necessary. Supporting documentary evidence must be made available to the CBP officer, upon request, for a period of five years (see § 163.4(a) of this chapter) from the date of filing in complete and proper form, the declaration of use, if requested, and, if applicable, the notice of sale. The supporting records must be made available to the CBP officer upon request in accordance with § 163.6 of this chapter.
(i) Documents supporting the proof (declaration) of actual use must:
(A) Establish that the identity and description of the prototype article is the same article that the consumption entry was made for under subheading 9817.85.01, HTSUS; and
(B) Describe the circumstances of the use of the article; the operations, testing, review, manipulation, experimentation, and/or other exercises that are being and/or that have been conducted in connection with the prototype; and the location, such as the plant or production facility, where these activities occurred, sufficient to demonstrate that the purposes enumerated in HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01 are taking and/or have actually taken place.
(ii) Documents supporting the notice of sale must establish that:
(A) The identity of the prototype sold is the same article for which a consumption entry was made under subheading 9817.85.01 HTSUS when it was imported, and that the article was in the condition described in the notice of sale;
(B) The article was sold to the party identified in the notice of sale;
(C) The HTSUS subheading number for scrap, waste, or recycled material, as applicable, claimed in connection with the sale of the prototype is accurate;
(D) The date that the prototype was originally imported for consumption, and the corresponding rate of duty in effect at the time for the applicable HTSUS subheading; and
(E) The value of the prototype article (if dutiable and the duty owed is based upon value) (see paragraph (e)(2) of this section) as claimed in the notice of sale is accurate.
(2) Relevant value for used prototype or parts sold. For purposes of this section, with respect to any duty owed on prototypes or parts of prototypes that are sold as scrap, or waste, or for recycling, where the duty owed is based upon value, the relevant value is the market value of the prototypes or parts, based upon their character and condition following use for the purposes prescribed in HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01. The relevant value should take into consideration any damage, degradation or deterioration to the prototypes or parts resulting from their use as a prototype and/or otherwise resulting to the articles from any other cause prior to their sale as scrap, waste, or for recycling. The market value will generally be measured by the selling price. Should a prototype or part of a prototype become a component of another product that is sold as scrap, waste, or recycled material, the relevant market value would be that portion of the selling price attributable to the component (prototype or part) as provided in this paragraph.
(f) Articles admitted under TIB—(1) Duty-free entry available. Under the procedure presented in paragraph (f)(2) of this section, an entry of an article made under a temporary importation bond (TIB) solely for testing, experimental or review purposes under HTSUS subheading 9813.00.30 may be converted into a duty-free entry under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01, if the following conditions exist:
(i) The article meets the definition for “prototypes” in paragraph (b) of this section (U.S. Note 6(a) to subchapter XVII, chapter 98, HTSUS); and
(ii) The TIB entry for the article was in effect and had not been closed, and the TIB period for the article had not expired, as of November 9, 2000.
(2) Procedure for converting TIB entry to duty-free entry—(i) Importer request. The importer must submit a written request, or an electronic equivalent as authorized by CBP, that a TIB entry made under HTSUS subheading 9813.00.30, which was in effect and had not been closed, and for which the TIB period had not expired, as of November 9, 2000, be converted instead into a duty-free consumption entry under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01.
(ii) Action by CBP. CBP will convert the TIB entry under HTSUS subheading 9813.00.30 to a duty-free entry under HTSUS subheading 9817.85.01, provided that the Center director is satisfied that the conditions set forth in paragraphs (f)(1)(i) and (f)(1)(ii) of this section have been met. When the TIB entry is converted, the bond will be cancelled and the entry closed. Once the conversion is complete, the Center director will provide a courtesy acknowledgment to this effect to the importer in writing or electronically.