Free-form certification of CAFTA-DR manufacturers and exporters and U.S. importers can be used as an alternative to the presentation of the Certificate of Origin when they have ensured that their products meet the requirements of the CAFTA-DR Free Trade Agreement. CAFTA-DR requires that tariffs and quotas be managed in a transparent, non-discriminatory, market-compliant and trade-based manner that allows importers to make full use of import quotas. Each Member State will eliminate export subsidies for agricultural products destined for another cafta-DR country. [9] Free Trade Agreement between Central America and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR), a trade agreement that was signed in 2004 to phase out most tariffs, tariffs and other barriers to trade in goods and services between Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United States. It was the first free trade agreement between the United States and a group of developing countries. For the most part, the pact was aimed at improving market access in the United States and boosting economic growth in Central American and Dominican Republic countries by strengthening direct investment and export diversification. CAFTA-DR is the third largest export market in Latin America for the United States just behind Brazil and Mexico and the 14th largest export market in the world. The free trade agreement provides new and more favourable access to consumer products, industrial and agricultural products in the United States. It also offers lower tariffs, protection for U.S. investments in the region, strengthens protection for U.S. patents, trademarks and much more.
Each publication contains the United States Harmonized Customs Plan (HTSUS) General Note containing general and specific rules of origin, a list of all products that became duty-free upon entry into force, and the exemption plan for goods that have been released over time. The CAFTA-DR trade area is the third largest export market for the United States in Latin America, second only to Mexico and Brazil. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, CAFTA-DR has benefited U.S. exporters of petroleum products, plastics, paper and textiles, as well as manufacturers of motor vehicles, machinery, medical equipment and electrical/electronic products.
