The United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force on January 1, 2005. As a result of the FTA, tariffs that averaged 4.3 percent were eliminated on more than 99% of the tariff lines for qualifying U.S. manufactured goods exported to Australia. In addition to tariff elimination, the FTA affords substantial benefits in a broad range of other sectors.
The FTA opened markets for services such as life insurance and express delivery, improved protection of intellectual property and helped facilitate American investments through predictable access and a stable business environment. For the first time, in many sectors, American firms are now allowed to compete for Australia’s government purchases on a nondiscriminatory basis. U.S. farm exports benefit from duty-free treatment, including processed foods, fruits and vegetables, corn, and soybeans. The FTA also made advances in e-commerce and market access for pharmaceuticals.
For goods not wholly obtained, you must meet the product’s rule of origin, usually through Tariff Shift or Regional Value Content. Learn more about how to Read and Apply FTA Rules of Origin. The rules of origin may be found in the final text of the FTA. Occasionally, a particular rule of origin may be revised. For the most updated version of the ROOs consult the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, General Notes — General Note 28.
In addition to the above rules of origin, there may other ways to qualify your product:
No specific certificate is required for the U.S. – Australia FTA. You may be requested by the importer or the Australian Customs Service to provide information to support a claim of preferential treatment. More information on what to include can be found in Free Trade Agreements Certificates of Origin.