(a) Right to petition. If the importer does not protest an adverse marking decision in accordance with section 514, Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1514), and part 174 of this chapter, the exporter or producer of the merchandise which was the subject of the adverse marking decision may file a petition with Customs requesting reconsideration of the decision. The petition may not be filed until after the importer's time to protest the adverse marking decision has expired (see §174.12(e) of this chapter for the time limits for filing protests). If the importer filed a protest upon which final administrative action has been taken, the exporter or producer may file a petition under this section, provided that the exporter or producer was not given notice of the pending protest pursuant to §181.114 of this part. If the importer filed a protest on which final administrative action has not been taken and notice of the pending protest was not provided to the exporter or producer under §181.114 of this part, a petition filed under this section shall be treated by the Center director as an intervention under §181.115 of this part.

(b) Form and filing of petition. A petition under this section shall be typewritten, in English, and shall be filed, in triplicate, with the port of entry or filed electronically with CBP. The petition under this subpart should be on letterhead paper in the form of a letter, clearly designated as a “Petition for NAFTA Review of Adverse Marking Decision” and shall be signed by the exporter, producer or his authorized agent. The provisions of §174.3 of this chapter shall apply for purposes of signature by a person other than the principal.

(c) Content. The Petition for NAFTA Review of Adverse Marking Decision letter shall contain all the information specified §181.115 of this part, except for the protest number. It shall also include a statement that petitioner was not notified by Customs in writing of a pending protest.

(d) Review of petition—(1) Review by Center director. Within 60 days of the date of receipt of the petition, the Center director shall determine if the petition is to be granted or denied, in whole or in part. If, after reviewing the petition, the Center director agrees with all of the petitioner's claims and determines that the initial adverse marking decision was not correct, a written notice granting the petition shall be issued to the petitioner. A description of the merchandise, a brief summary of the issue(s) and the Center director's findings shall be forwarded to the Director, Tariff Classification Appeals Division, Customs Headquarters, for publication in the Customs Bulletin. If, after reviewing the petition, the Center director determines that the initial adverse marking decision was correct in its entirety, a written notice shall be issued to the petitioner advising that the matter has been forwarded to the Director, Tariff Classification Appeals Division, Customs Headquarters, for further review and decision. All relevant background information, including available samples, a description of the adverse marking decision and the reasons for the decision, and the Center director's recommendation shall be furnished to Headquarters.

(2) Review by Headquarters. Within 120 days of the date the petition and background information are received at Customs Headquarters, the Director, Tariff Classification Appeals Division, shall determine if the petition is to be granted or denied, in whole or in part, and the petitioner shall be notified in writing of the determination. If the petition is granted in whole or in part, a description of the merchandise, a brief summary of the issue(s) and the director's findings will be published in the Customs Bulletin.

(3) Effect of granting the petition. The decision on the petition, if contrary to the initial adverse marking decision, will be implemented with respect to merchandise entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption after 30 days from the date on which the notice of determination is published in the Customs Bulletin.

(e) Pending litigation. No decision on a petition will be issued under this section with respect to any issue which is pending before the United States Court of International Trade, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, or any court of appeal therefrom. Litigation before any other court will not preclude the issuance of a decision on a petition under this section, provided neither Customs nor any of its officers or agents is named as a party to the action.

(f) Judicial review of denial of petition. Any person whose petition under this section has been denied, in whole or in part, may contest the denial by filing a civil action in the United States Court of International Trade within 30 days after the date of mailing of the notice of denial.

[T.D. 95-68, 60 FR 46364, Sept. 6, 1995, as amended by CBP Dec. No. 16-26, 81 FR 93027, Dec. 20, 2016]