Israeli Customs releases new invoice declaration for US exporters

The ‘certificate of origin’ requirement on exports to Israel from the US has been replaced by an invoice declaration. The US-Israel Free Trade Agreement (‘ILFTA’) was amended in May 2017 to effect this change, which was implemented following a phase-out period of the ‘certificate of origin’ which ended on 30 June.

The new invoice declaration has a number of requirements, according to Expeditors:

• The document is on the letterhead of the exporter or manufacturer.
• The document should include the logo of the exporter or manufacturer, and identify details of the exporter or manufacturer, including the address and the date of issue of the document.
• The document should be prepared and issued only by the United States manufacturer or exporter.
• The document should include the title ‘Invoice Declaration’.
• The following information should appear in the rows following the title of the document:
• The sales invoice number.
• Date of issue of the invoice.
• Where the invoice was issued.
• In cases where the goods are transferred to distribution centres in the US or in an intermediate country and the transaction invoice is issued by a US company or a company based in the third country, the ‘other commercial document’ should be issued by the US company only.
• The document should specify the list of the original goods entitled to customs preference.
• The ‘Other commercial document’ should include an invoice declaration with all required details.

The Israeli Customs press release can be found here:
https://www.chamber.org.il/media/158743/esh-2.pdf

US Customs and Borders Protection Agency announcement can be found here:
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/free-trade-agreements/israel/certificate-origin-requirements

More information can be found from the US Department of Commerce at:
https://www.export.gov/article?id=Israel-Documenting-Origin