Merchandise may be released under a special permit for immediate delivery, in accordance with section 448(b), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1448(b)), in the following circumstances:

(a) Contiguous countries. At the discretion of the port director, merchandise arriving by land from Canada or Mexico may be released under a special permit for immediate delivery provided the importer has on file a bond on CBP Form 301, containing the bond conditions set forth in §113.62 of this chapter. An entry summary shall be filed in accordance with §142.22(b)(1), and estimated duties, if any, shall be deposited, within the time period specified in §142.23 for all merchandise from contiguous countries released under a special permit except for fresh fruits and vegetables for human consumption released under the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) Fresh fruits and vegetables.

(1) An application for a special permit for immediate delivery may be made for the transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables for human consumption arriving from Canada or Mexico to the importer's premises within the port of importation, but removed from the area immediately contiguous to the border.

(2) The application shall be accompanied by a continuous bond on CBP Form 301, containing the bond conditions set forth in §113.62 of this chapter.

(3) The fresh fruits and vegetables shall be transported to the importer's premises in the vehicles in which they crossed the border or, if transshipment is necessary in vehicles provided by the importer. The fresh fruits and vegetables may be examined at the importer's premises. Those portions without commercial value may be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of §158.11(b) of this chapter, and the balance shall be entered for consumption or transported in bond under an entry for immediate transportation without appraisement or under an entry for transportation and exportation.

(c) Agency of U.S. Government. Merchandise may be released under the immediate delivery procedure if the shipment is consigned to or for the account of any agency or office of the United States Government, or to an officer or official of any such agency in his official capacity, as provided in §10.101 of this chapter.

(d) Articles of a trade fair. Articles for a trade fair may be released under the immediate delivery procedure, as provided in §147.13 of this chapter.

(e) Quota-class merchandise—(1) Tariff rate quotas. At the discretion of the port director, merchandise subject to a tariff-rate quota may be released under a special permit for immediate delivery provided the importer has on file a bond on CBP Form 301, containing the bond conditions set forth in §113.62 of this chapter. However, merchandise subject to a tariff-rate quota may not be incrementally released under a special permit for immediate delivery as provided in paragraphs (g) and (h) of this section. Nor is such merchandise eligible for release under a special permit pursuant to 19 CFR 141.58(d)(1). Where a special permit is authorized, an entry summary will be properly presented pursuant to §132.1 of this chapter within the time specified in §142.23, or within the quota period, whichever expires first. If proper presentation is not made until after the tariff-rate quota is filled, the merchandise shall not be entitled to the quota rate of duty, and the importer shall pay duties at the over-quota rate.

(2) Absolute quotas. At the discretion of the port director, perishable merchandise of a class approved by CBP Headquarters which is subject to an absolute quota may be released under a special permit for immediate delivery for removal to the importer's premises, or to any other location approved by the port director, until an entry summary is properly presented pursuant to §132.1 of this chapter. However, merchandise subject to an absolute quota under this paragraph may not be incrementally released under a special permit for immediate delivery as provided in paragraphs (g) and (h) of this section. Nor is such merchandise eligible for release under a special permit pursuant to §141.58(d)(1) of this chapter. Where a special permit is authorized, a proper entry summary must be presented for merchandise so released within the time specified in §142.23, or within the quota period, whichever expires first. If the absolute quota is filled before the importer has properly presented an entry summary, he may either present an entry summary for warehouse or, under CBP supervision, export or destroy the merchandise.

(f) Release from warehouse followed by warehouse withdrawal for consumption. Merchandise may be released from warehouse under a special permit:

(1) At the discretion of the port director when:

(i) The warehouse is located a considerable distance from the customhouse and actual release of the merchandise from the warehouse may not be effected within the next full business day after the day of the payment of duty, and

(ii) The port has sufficient manpower to permit such practice;

(2) The importer shall have on file a bond on CBP Form 301, containing the bond conditions set forth in §113.62 of this chapter; and

(3) The immediate delivery permit shall be annotated to state that a warehouse withdrawal for consumption will be filed for this merchandise.

(g) Split shipments. Merchandise subject to §141.57(d)(2) of this chapter, which is invoiced and delivered to the carrier as a single shipment, but which, due to the carrier's inability to accommodate the merchandise on a single conveyance, is shipped by the carrier in separate portions to the same port of entry in the United States as listed on the original bill of lading, may be released incrementally under a special permit. Incremental release means releasing each portion of such shipments separately as they arrive.

(h) Entities shipped unassembled or disassembled on multiple conveyances. Merchandise subject to §141.58(d)(2) of this chapter, which is purchased, invoiced, and classified as a single entity under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), and which is shipped in separate portions because its size or nature prevents shipping the entity on a single conveyance, may be released incrementally under a special permit.

(i) When authorized by Headquarters. Headquarters may authorize the release of merchandise under the immediate delivery procedure in circumstances other than those described in §142.21(a) through (h) provided a bond on CBP Form 301 containing the bond conditions set forth in §113.62 of this chapter is on file.

(R.S. 251, as amended, secs. 623, as amended, 624, 46 Stat. 759, as amended (19 U.S.C. 66, 1623, 1624))

[T.D. 79-221, 44 FR 46821, Aug. 9, 1979, as amended by T.D. 81-260, 46 FR 49842, Oct. 8, 1981; T.D. 84-213, 49 FR 41185, Oct. 19, 1984; T.D. 89-104, 54 FR 50499, Dec. 7, 1989; T.D. 03-09, 68 FR 8721, Feb. 25, 2003; CBP Dec. 06-11, 71 FR 31927, June 2, 2006]