THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN MARKING OF WOODEN CLOTHES HANGERS FROM SERBIA

N010328 May 25, 2007 MAR-2 RR:E:NC:2:230 CATEGORY: MARKING Mr. Christopher J. Smith Ikea Wholesale Inc. 100 Ikea Drive Westhampton, NJ 08060 RE: THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN MARKING OF WOODEN CLOTHES HANGERS FROM SERBIA Dear Mr. Smith: This is in response to your letter dated April 25, 2007 requesting a ruling on whether the proposed marking "Made in Serbia" is an acceptable country of origin marking for wooden clothes hangers imported from Serbia. A marked sample was not submitted with your letter for review. You state that Ikea is considering sourcing wooden clothes hangers from a manufacturer in Serbia. You believe that products from Serbia must be marked “Serbia and Montenegro” based on the international country designations for reporting purposes found in Annex B of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. However, you state that Canada and the European Union recognize Serbia as a separate country, and that Ikea would like to use a single label stating “Made in Serbia” for the North American market. In an effort to exercise reasonable care, you ask if this marking would be acceptable. The marking statute, section 304, Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1304), provides that, unless excepted, every article of foreign origin (or its container) imported into the U.S. shall be marked in a conspicuous place as legibly, indelibly and permanently as the nature of the article (or its container) will permit, in such a manner as to indicate to the ultimate purchaser in the U.S. the English name of the country of origin of the article. Section 134.45, Customs Regulations (19 CFR 134.45), provides for approved markings of the country name. Generally, the markings shall include the full English name of the country of origin, unless another name is specifically authorized by the Commissioner of Customs. However, abbreviations which unmistakably indicate the name of a country are acceptable. With respect to the subject circumstance, it is noted that the United States, at this time, also recognizes Serbia as a separate country. See Federal Register Notice, Vol. 71., No. 227 (page 68438). The international country designations in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States have been amended in Revision 1 of the 2007 Tariff to reflect the status of Serbia and Montenegro as separate countries. New separate ISO country codes of RS for Serbia and ME for Montenegro replace the previous combined code of CS. Therefore, the proposed marking of “Made in Serbia” satisfies the marking requirements of 19 U.S.C. 1304 and 19 CFR Part 134 and is an acceptable country of origin marking for the imported wooden clothes hangers. This ruling is being issued under the provisions of Part 177 of the Customs Regulations (19 CFR Part 177). A copy of the ruling or the control number indicated above should be provided with the entry documents filed at the time this merchandise is imported. If you have any questions regarding the ruling, contact National Import Specialist Paul Garretto at 646-733-3035. Sincerely, Robert B. Swierupski Director, National Commodity Specialist Division