Trade Agreements

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Companies can design their international supply chain to reduce customs duties and other expenses by sourcing goods originating in a Free Trade Area. The United States has trade agreements ranging from the US-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement ("USMCA") and the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic FTA ("CAFTA-DR") to bilateral agreements with South Korea, Australia, Chile, Singapore, Jordan, Israel, Moroco, Bahrain and other countries. Companies exporting to customers who may be seeking to claim preferences under these agreements must establish compliance systems to gather the necessary information and document the origin of their products. Similarly, importers need to have the required documentation or knowledge to support a claim for duty-free entry.

Barnes/Richardson lawyers have helped many companies establish and defend compliance systems for FTAs. This experience includes very complex programs including automotive rules of origin, averaging, fungible materials, and other details of the rules of origin. We have also worked with companies undergoing governmental verifications of the status of their goods.

May 4, 2026: U.S.& EU Align on Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resilience
Apr. 27, 2026: EU Commissioner Šefcovic on EU-U.S. Steel Talks
Apr. 24, 2026: CIT Decision Highlights CAPE Phase II IEEPA Refund Concerns
Apr. 24, 2026: Potential AD/CVD for Mexican, Vietnamese, & Thai Chassis
Apr. 21, 2026: CAPE Phase 1, Day One, Better Than Feared
Apr. 20, 2026: CBP Updates Guidance on Jones Act Waiver
Apr. 20, 2026: BIS Enforcement Action Against Coastal PVA Technology Signals Continued Scrutiny of EAR99 Exports
Apr. 14, 2026: CBP Publishes CAPE Phase 1 Update
Apr. 10, 2026: CBP Releases First CAPE IEEPA Refund Instructions
Apr. 2, 2026: Big Changes to Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum, Copper and their Derivative Articles
Apr. 1, 2026: CBP Publishes New Applications for ACE Portal Accounts
Mar. 31, 2026: CIT Potentially Broadens the Path for IEEPA Refunds—But the End Is Not Here Yet
Mar. 30, 2026: Section 232 Steel/Aluminum Content Reporting "Guidance"
Mar. 20, 2026: CBP Ruling Clarifies Customs Business, Addresses AI
Mar. 16, 2026: USTR Initiates Forced Labor Section 301 Investigation
Mar. 12, 2026: Here Come the Section 301 Investigations
Mar. 12, 2026: CBP Updates Court on IEEPA Refund Process and Technology
Mar. 11, 2026: AD/CVD Petitions Announced on Lithium Battery Chemicals from China
Mar. 10, 2026: Bills Introduced in House and Senate to Restrict Non-Resident Importers
Mar. 9, 2026: States Challenge Section 122 Tariffs
Mar. 6, 2026: Customs Proposes IEEPA Refund Process to Court
Mar. 4, 2026: CIT Orders Refunds; Appeal Likely
Mar. 2, 2026: IEEPA Case Expedited to CIT for Relief
Feb. 27, 2026: New AD/CVD Petitions on Truck Bed Covers from China
Feb. 27, 2026: "Trade Deals" Under Reciprocal Tariff Framework Have Uncertain (and Maybe Varying) Futures
Feb. 27, 2026: Battle of 122 Tariffs: Is it 10 or 15%?
Feb. 27, 2026: Wither De Minimis After the Supreme Court IEEPA Decision?
Feb. 11, 2026: Legislation Introduced to End First Sale
Feb. 10, 2026: United States & Bangladesh Agreement on Reciprocal Trade
Feb. 9, 2026: U.S. and India Announce Interim Trade Deal
Feb. 6, 2026: Secondary Tariffs Threatened on Countries Selling Oil to Cuba
Feb. 6, 2026: U.S. Finalizes Terms on Trade Agreement with Argentina
Feb. 3, 2026: Answering Dumping Questionnaires Just Got Harder
Feb. 2, 2026: Apparent India/U.S. IEEPA Duty Deal Reached
Feb. 1, 2026: El Salvador and Guatemala Get IEEPA Deals
Jan. 26, 2026: BIS and Customs Funding Appropriations: Where We Are and What's It All Mean
Jan. 26, 2026: Trump Threatens to Increase Korean Tariffs to 25%
Jan. 20, 2026: Trump Threatens Europeans With More Tariffs Over Greenland
Jan. 15, 2026: Negotiations Chosen Over Tariffs for Critical Minerals, For Now
Jan. 15, 2026: New 25% Tariff Imposed on Certain Semiconductor Imports
Jan. 15, 2026: Taiwan Said to Have Trade Deal with United States
Jan. 10, 2026: CAFC Upholds Use of Domestic Sales for Transaction Value
Jan. 5, 2026: Upholstered Wooden Products, Kitchen Cabinets, and Vanities Tariff Hike Delayed
Jan. 5, 2026: CBP Mandates Electronic Refunds Effective February 6
Dec. 23, 2025: U.S. Imposes Phased-In Duties on Certain Nicaraguan Imports
Dec. 23, 2025: USTR Publishes Semiconductor Section 301 Results
Dec. 22, 2025: Big Fines for (alleged) Duty Evaders

View Archive

Jan. 22, 2025: Webinar: What We Know After the Inauguration
Sep. 9, 2024: McPherson to Co-Moderate Export Enforcement Discussion
January 20, 2020: USMCA: An Overview
By: Lawrence M. Friedman
May 4, 2017: BRC Partner Lawrence Friedman to Speak at Upcoming PERT Event
March 3, 2014: BRC Partner Quoted in Korean Orange Juice Investigation
June 18, 2013: Barnes/Richardson Attorney Authors Article on U.S.-EU Free Trade Agreement
May 5, 2008: Canada Adopts NAFTA Disassembly Rule
January 14, 2008: The Role of Trade in the 2008 Elections
By: Lawrence M. Friedman
October 12, 2007: NAFTA Certificates of Origin: Supporting Document Requirement
By: Lawrence M. Friedman
July 13, 2007: CBP Commissioners Speak on Cargo Security
May 1, 2007: Reducing Customs Duties: Strategies for Importers
By: Lawrence M. Friedman
January 11, 2007: Country Brief: Oman
January 11, 2007: Country Brief: Jordan
November 20, 2005: Country Brief: Morocco
March 17, 2005: Country Brief: Australia
November 19, 2004: Country Brief: Chile
November 18, 2004: Country Brief: Panama
November 18, 2004: Country Brief: Bahrain
May 1, 2004: "Who's Who" in Customs and International Trade Law
By: David G. Forgue
March 10, 2004: The U.S.-Singapore Free-Trade Agreement
November 19, 2004: Country Brief: Singapore
June 10, 2003: United States and Singapore Sign Free Trade Agreement
January 1, 2003: NAFTA Rules of Origin

Andean Pact CO
Carribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act CO
GSP Guidebook (February 2007)
H.R. 1830 - Andean Trade Preferences Extension
U.S. Preferential Trade Agreements and Programs Synopsis
Trade Deals Going South
CBP Memo on System Changes for US-Australia FTA
US-Australia FTA Implementation Information
US-Bahrain FTA Final Rule
US-Bahrain FTA Interim Rule
Guidance on MPF and Duty Preference Programs
2007 Customs Year in Review
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: DR-CAFTA for Dominican Republic
U.S.-Chile Sample CO
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Amendment to the U.S. Dominican Republic-Central America FTA
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Bahrain Free Trade Agreement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Chile Free Trade Agreement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: DR-CAFTA for Guatemala
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: DR-CAFTA for Honduras and Nicaragua
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2006
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Jordan Free Trade Agreement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Morocco Free Trade Agreement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Oman Free Trade Agreement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Implementation Instructions: Singapore Free Trade Agreement
WTO Proposal for Trade Liberalization in Environmental Goods

African Growth and Opportunities Act
WTO Antidumping Information
Canada and the NAFTA (Dep't of Foreign Affairs)
Dispute Settlement Under NAFTA
Investor-State Arbitrations under NAFTA
NAFTA Information (Canada Border Services Agency)
NAFTA Information (US)
NAFTA Secretariat
Organization of American States
U.S. Dep't of Commerce Trade Compliance Center
AGOA Info
Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement
Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement
Federal Revenue & Customs of Brazil
Free Trade Area of the Americas (Canadian)
Free Trade Area of the Americas (OAS)
Free Trade Area of the Americas (Official)
Guide to the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement
Southern Africa Trade Law Center
Trade Agreements Database
U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (Final Text)
U.S.-Bahrain FTA Final Text
U.S.-Bahrain FTA Resources
U.S.-Central America-Domincan Republic FTA USTR Resources
U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic FTA (Final Text)
U.S.-Chile FTA Final Text
U.S.-Chile FTA USTR Resources
U.S.-Colombia FTA Final Text
U.S.-Colombia FTA Resources
U.S.-Israel FTA Background
U.S.-Israel FTA Final Text
U.S.-Jordan FTA Final Text
U.S.-Jordan FTA Resources
U.S.-Korea Free Trade Resources
U.S.-Morocco FTA Final Text
U.S.-Morocco FTA Resources
U.S.-Panama FTA Resources
U.S.-Singapore FTA Final Text
U.S.-Singapore FTA USTR Resources
United Nations
USTR FTA Negotiations
World Trade Organization