A. General Information
Republic of Korea’s Steel Imports Approved for the Electronic Certification System (eCERT)
B. Lessons Learned
The export certification requirement for imports of steel products of the Republic of Korea that are subject to an absolute quota will be collected through the Electronic Certification System. The United States CBP adopted the eCERT system for its import process of steel products from South Korea.
The new government-to-government system reduces processing times, improves the security of both exports and imports and delivers enhanced quota compliance and enforcement for both the United States and the Republic of Korea. CBP administers and enforces more than 2,100 import quotas which regulate the amounts of commodities that can enter the United States to promote fair and regulated trade. With the deployment of the program for the Republic of Korea steel quotas, the Electronic Certification System will digitally transmit export certificates to CBP on approximately $7 billion in annual steel quota imports to ensure that only authorized parties have access to the quota.
Improving security and compliance of the US-Korea quota system for steel through digitalization.
Exchange of export certificates to enforce quotas.
Export certificates
eCERT is an important component of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and represents CBP’s innovative efforts to modernize trade documentation. The transition to electronic certification offers real-time certificate updates, secure and confidential data transmission and a robust defense against certificate fraud. The program precisely tracks certificate usage and allows the Republic of Korea to monitor export compliance. CBP encourages other nations to consider how adopting the program could transform their trade practices, making them more efficient, secure and transparent.