Import licensing is one of the tools USDA uses to administer the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system for U.S. imports of dairy products. For dairy products subject to TRQs, a license from FAS is generally required to import items at the low-tier tariff rate. Individuals must apply annually for a license between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15.
Under these TRQs, a low tariff rate, called the low-tier rate, applies to imports up to a specified quantity. A higher tariff rate, called the high-tier rate, applies to any imports in excess of that amount.
TRQs replaced Section 22 import quotas for dairy products on Jan. 1, 1995, as a result of the Uruguay Round Agreement. High-tier tariff rates were reduced by 15 percent in the six years after the agreement's implementation in 1995, while quantities subject to low-tier rates were increased gradually over that same period. TRQ rates and quantities vary by product.
No license is required to import products at the high-tier rate, to import products for an agency of the U.S. government, or to import products for personal use, as long as net weight does not exceed 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in any one shipment.
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Globalization 2018
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Country
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Commodity
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Quantity (KG)
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Percent Globalized
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Note
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Date
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| Israel | Other Cheese: NSPF | 673,000 | 100% | 16 | April, 2018 |
| Israel | Other Cheese: NSPF-Low fat | 50,000 | 100% | 23 | April, 2018 |
| Iceland | Other Cheese: NSPF | 294,000 | 100% | 16 | April, 2018 |
| Iceland | Swiss Emmenthaler | 149,999 | 100% | 25 | April, 2018 |
| Costa Rica | Other Cheese: NSPF | 1,550,000 | 83% | 16 | May, 2018 |
| Chile | Blue Mold | 80,000 | 100% | 17 | June, 2018 |
| Chile | Cheddar | 220,000 | 100% | 18 | June, 2018 |
Regulations
7 CFR Part 46, Subpart - Dairy Tariff-Rate Import Quota Licensing
Listing of Dairy License Recipients Under Regulation 1 (as of March 2018)
Applying
Eligible individuals must apply annually for a license between September 1 and October 15. FAS issues licenses in late December for the following calendar year.