Effective June 10, 2009, shippers sending textile and apparel commodities into the USA are only required to apply for ‘formal entry’ when the value of the shipment is over USD250.  The policy has been revised as a result of the replacement of previous international agreements by WTO trading rules.  These eliminate quotas on textile and apparel commodities.

Textile and apparel commodities valued under USD250 may now be released by informal entry, which is a simpler and faster procedure.  Shipments valued under USD200 are eligible for release using manifest data as long as the description is sufficient to identify the contents.  US importers are advised to review the need for a proper description on the air waybill.  This information is critical to ensure timely entry and release of low value shipments and is also part of the pre-arrival information required from carriers by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).