11/12/2020

To our Valued Customers,

The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus opened for signature on 14 June 2017 and has been signed by 11 countries.

Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Keith Pitt, signed the Agreement in Nuku'alofa on 14 June 2017 alongside Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. Vanuatu signed the Agreement in Apia on 7 September 2017.

The implementing legislation received the Royal Assent on 25 September 2018.

Entry into force

PACER Plus will enter into force on 13 December 2020 for Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga.

The Agreement will enter into force for other Parties, namely Nauru, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, sixty days after notifying the depository that they have completed their domestic ratification process.

The ABF will publish an Australian Customs Notice in advance of the entry-into-force of the Agreement for these Parties. Subsection 153ZKL(6) of the Customs Act 1901 requires that the Minister must announce, by notifiable instrument, the day on which the Agreement enters into force for a Party (other than Australia).

Integrated Cargo System – Claiming Preference

To claim preferential customs duty rates under PACER Plus, the following codes should be used in the Integrated Cargo System:

Preference scheme type

?Type	Description of preference scheme?
PACR	Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER)

Preference rule types

Select the appropriate rule type

Rule Type	?Description of Origin Criteria
WO	Goods wholly obtained or produced in a Party
PE	Goods produced from originating materials
PSR	Goods produced from non-originating materials

 

What you will need to support a claim for preference under PACER Plus

A Declaration of Origin is the basis for a claim for preferential treatment under PACER Plus. Further details can be found in the guide above.

A DOO can be completed by an exporter or producer, or an authorised representative of the exporter or producer.

The Declaration of Origin must comply with Article 15 of Chapter 3 and Annex 3-A, Declaration of Origin Requirements (398KB PDF) of the Agreement.

Applying for an origin advice ruling

The Australian Border Force will provide written advice, upon request, for determining whether a good is a Pacific Islands originating good for the purposes of claiming PACER P PACER Plus preference. For further information, see:

• Origin Advice Guide (616KB PDF)
• Form B659 – Application for Origin Advice Ruling (642KB PDF)

 

Please feel free to contact our Customs Team, should you have any queries or questions.

 

Keeping you updated,

BRi Customs Team

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