(a) Applicant. Unless operating under a general manufacturing drawback ruling (see §191.7), each manufacturer or producer of articles intended to be claimed for drawback shall apply for a specific manufacturing drawback ruling. Where a separately-incorporated subsidiary of a parent corporation is engaged in manufacture or production for drawback, the subsidiary is the proper party to apply for a specific manufacturing drawback ruling, and cannot operate under any specific manufacturing drawback ruling approved in favor of the parent corporation.

(b) Sample application. Sample formats for applications for specific manufacturing drawback rulings are contained in appendix B to this part.

(c) Content of application. The application of each manufacturer or producer shall include the following information as applicable:

(1) Name and address of the applicant;

(2) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) number (with suffix) of the applicant;

(3) Description of the type of business in which engaged;

(4) Description of the manufacturing or production process, which shows how the designated and substituted merchandise are used to make the article that is to be exported or destroyed;

(5) In the case of a business entity, the names of persons listed in §191.6(a)(1) through (6) who will sign drawback documents;

(6) Description of the imported merchandise including specifications;

(7) Description of the exported article;

(8) Basis of claim for calculating manufacturing drawback;

(9) Summary of the records kept to support claims for drawback; and

(10) Identity and address of the recordkeeper if other than the claimant.

(d) Submission. An application for a specific manufacturing drawback ruling shall be submitted, in triplicate, to CBP Headquarters (Attention: Entry Process and Duty Refunds Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade). If drawback claims are to be filed under the ruling at more than one drawback office, one additional copy of the application shall be filed with CBP Headquarters for each additional office.

(e) Review and action by CBP. CBP Headquarters shall review the application for a specific manufacturing drawback ruling.

(1) Approval. If consistent with the drawback law and regulations, Customs Headquarters shall issue a letter of approval to the applicant and shall forward 1 copy of the application for the specific manufacturing drawback ruling to the appropriate drawback office(s) with a copy of the letter of approval. Synopses of approved specific manufacturing drawback rulings shall be published in the weekly Customs Bulletin with each synopsis being published under an identifying Treasury Decision (T.D.). Each specific manufacturing drawback ruling shall be assigned a unique computer-generated manufacturing number which shall be included in the letter of approval to the applicant from Customs Headquarters, shall appear in the published synopsis, and must be used when filing manufacturing drawback claims with Customs.

(2) Disapproval. If not consistent with the drawback law and regulations, CBP Headquarters shall promptly and in writing inform the applicant that the application cannot be approved and shall specifically advise the applicant why this is so. A disapproved application may be resubmitted with modifications and/or explanations addressing the reasons given for disapproval, or the disapproval may be appealed to CBP Headquarters (Attention: Director, Entry Process and Duty Refunds Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade).

(f) Schedules and supplemental schedules. When an application for a specific manufacturing drawback ruling states that drawback is to be based upon a schedule filed by the manufacturer or producer, the schedule will be reviewed by Customs Headquarters. The application may include a request for authorization for the filing of supplemental schedules with the drawback office where claims are filed.

(g) Procedure to modify a specific manufacturing drawback ruling—(1) Supplemental application. Except as provided for limited modifications in paragraph (g)(2) of this section, a manufacturer or producer desiring to modify an existing specific manufacturing drawback ruling shall submit a supplemental application for such a ruling to CBP Headquarters (Attention: Entry Process and Duty Refunds Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade). Such a supplemental application may, at the discretion of the manufacturer or producer, be in the form of the original application, or it may identify the specific manufacturing drawback ruling to be modified (by T.D. number and unique computer-generated number) and include only those paragraphs of the application to be modified, with a statement that all other paragraphs are unchanged and are incorporated by reference in the supplemental application.

(2) Limited modifications.

(i) A supplemental application for a specific manufacturing drawback ruling shall be submitted to the drawback office(s) where claims are filed if the modifications are limited to:

(A) The location of a factory, or the addition of one or more factories where the methods followed and records maintained are the same as those at another factory operating under the existing specific manufacturing drawback ruling of the manufacturer or producer;

(B) The succession of a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation to the operations of a manufacturer or producer;

(C) A change in name of the manufacturer or producer;

(D) A change in the persons who will sign drawback documents in the case of a business entity;

(E) A change in the basis of claim used for calculating drawback;

(F) A change in the decision to use or not to use an agent under §191.9 of this chapter, or a change in the identity of an agent under that section;

(G) A change in the drawback office where claims will be filed under the ruling (see paragraph (g)(2)(iii) of this section); or

(H) Any combination of the foregoing changes.

(ii) A limited modification, as provided for in this paragraph, shall contain only the modifications to be made, in addition to identifying the specific manufacturing drawback ruling and being signed by an authorized person. To effect a limited modification, the manufacturer or producer shall file with the drawback office(s) where claims are filed (with a copy to CBP Headquarters, Attention, Entry Process and Duty Refunds Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade) a letter stating the modifications to be made. The drawback office shall promptly acknowledge, in writing, acceptance of the limited modifications, with a copy to CBP Headquarters, Attention, Entry Process and Duty Refunds Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade.

(iii) To effect a change in the drawback office where claims will be filed, the manufacturer or producer shall file with the new drawback office where claims will be filed, a written application to file claims at that office, with a copy of the application and approval letter under which claims are currently filed. The manufacturer or producer shall provide a copy of the written application to file claims at the new drawback office to the drawback office where claims are currently filed.

(h) Duration. Subject to 19 U.S.C. 1625 and part 177 of this chapter, a specific manufacturing drawback ruling under this section shall remain in effect indefinitely unless:

(1) No drawback claim or certificate of manufacture and delivery is filed under the ruling for a period of 5 years and notice of termination is published in the Customs Bulletin; or

(2) The manufacturer or producer to whom approval of the ruling was issued files a request to terminate the ruling, in writing, with Customs Headquarters.

[T.D. 98-16, 63 FR 11006, Mar. 5, 1998; 63 FR 15288, Mar. 31, 1998]