On a Federal Register notice published on July 8, 2013, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Treasury issued a final ruling amending current CBP regulations, regarding the importation of rough diamonds under the Clean Diamond Trade Act. The changes restate relevant provisions included in the Rough Diamonds Control Regulations (RDCR), which are issued by the Department of Treasury.
The notice explains that in December 5, 2002, The U.S. and several participating countries launched the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in order to regulate rough diamond trade worldwide. According to the notice, "participating countries prohibit the importation of rough diamonds from, or the exportation of rough diamonds to, a non-participant and require that shipments of rough diamonds from or to a participating country be controlled through the KPCS."
Other changes included in this final rule include:
- Persons importing or exporting rough diamonds must retain a copy of the Kimberly Process Certificate for a period of five years
- Certificates must be made available to CBP upon request
- Shipments of rough diamonds require a formal entry
The final rule becomes effective on August 7, 2013.
The full text of the Federal Register notice is available online here.
