U.S. confirms self-certification policy for diamond imports

by Tamanna Bhasin | March 13, 2024 2:48 pm

As of March 1, those importing polished diamonds of one carat or more into the U.S. must provide documentation certifying their diamonds are not of Russian origin. U.S. Customs and Border Protection specify only one document will be required per entry. This self-certification must be presented as a PDF document on company letterhead and should include one of the following statements:

1. For nonindustrial diamonds weighing at least one carat, “I certify that the nonindustrial diamonds in this shipment were not mined, extracted, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Russian Federation, notwithstanding whether such diamonds have been substantially transformed into other products outside of the Russian Federation.”
2. For diamond jewellery and unsorted diamonds weighing at least one carat, “I certify that the diamond jewelry and unsorted diamonds in this shipment are not of Russian Federation origin or were not exported from the Russian Federation.”

In an earlier statement, the U.S. Embassy in Botswana specified a six-month “sunrise period” slated to go into effect from March 1, in order to provide industry professionals with the opportunity to adjust to the new G7 sanctions. While the current ban applies to polished diamonds of at least one carat, it will expand to diamonds weighing at least a half-carat starting in September.

The U.S. has yet to confirm how the Customs and Border Protection process for diamond imports will adjust after the sunrise period ends. However, the U.S. embassy in Botswana has alluded to importers eventually having to provide “documentary supply chain evidence” at the border.

According to JCK[1], Sara Yood, deputy general counsel for the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, said, “This is basically saying that during the sunrise period [due to end Aug. 31] self-declarations are sufficient for the United States. I hope people take advantage of the sunrise period to really explore the traceability programs that are out there.”

As per a statement released by Global Affairs Canada[2], Canada will also be imposing additional import restrictions on Russian diamonds under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations.

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/u-s-confirms-self-certification-policy-for-diamond-imports/

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