Tariff Notice - TN-01

The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) has been notified by officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade that the Canada-Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement came into force on November 1, 2002.

Upon implementation of this agreement, Costa Rican tariffs on most Canadian exports of industrial products such as automotive and environmental goods and prefabricated buildings have been eliminated. Tariffs on the remainder of industrial products will be gradually phased out over a period of either 7 or 14 years, depending on the type of product.

Due to the numerous changes, revised pages for the 2002 Customs Tariff Schedule will not be printed. These changes will, however, be included in the 2003 Customs Tariff Schedule that will be available by the end of November or early December 2002. The changes to the Customs Tariff will also be included in the 2003 Customs Tariff.

The tariff items listed in Appendix A have no Costa Rica rate whereas the tariff items listed in Appendix B have the current Costa Rica rate. All the other tariff items will have a Costa Rica rate (CRT) of "Free". Appendix C lists the tariff items that have description changes only.

The Customs Commercial System (CCS) will be updated on or about November 1, 2002 to reflect these changes. For further information concerning the Costa Rica rates in the Customs Tariff Schedule, please contact Lynne Spirak at (613) 954-6877 or Norman Scharf at
(613) 954-6904.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call Ronald Gerold, Manager, Duty Deferral Unit, at (613) 954-6937.