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  4. Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements

Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements (CMAA)

Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements (CMAA) are legally binding, government-to-government agreements that provide the legal framework for the exchange of information to assist the United States’ international partners in the enforcement against customs offenses. The agreements aid in the prevention, detection, and investigation of crimes associated with goods crossing international borders (e.g., duty evasion, Intellectual Property Rights violations, trafficking).

CMAAs also allow for the sharing of information that is used to assist governments in judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings involving suspected violations of customs laws. These agreements also help establish greater bilateral cooperation on trade and law enforcement issues. Finally, CMAAs facilitate trade by enabling greater efficiency in searches, seizures, detentions, audits, and other enforcement actions, allowing legitimate trade and travel to flow more freely.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement co-negotiate CMAAs with international partners on behalf of the United States through authorization obtained from the U.S. Department of State.

The United States has signed and entered into force CMAAs with the following:

 

Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements (CMAA)
Algeria Dominican Republic Kenya Poland
Argentina Ecuador Korea Portugal
Australia* European Community Kuwait Romania
Austria Finland Latvia Russian Federation
Azerbaijan France Malaysia Senegal
Bahrain Gabon Maldives Serbia
Belarus† Georgia Malta Singapore
Belgium Germany Mauritius Slovakia‡
Bolivia Greece Mexico South Africa
Brazil Guatemala Mongolia Spain
Bulgaria Hong Kong* Morocco Sweden
Canada Hungary Netherlands

Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office§

Chile India New Zealand Trinidad and Tobago
China Indonesia Nigeria Turkey
Colombia Ireland Norway Ukraine
Costa Rica Israel Pakistan United Kingdom
Cyprus Japan Paraguay Uruguay
Czech Republic ‡ Jordan Peru Vietnam
Denmark Kazakhstan Philippines  


* Non-binding

† Successor to the U.S. – USSR CMAA, June 2, 1990

‡ Successor to the U.S. – Czechoslovakia CMAA, May 7, 1991

§ Agreement is between American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States

Please refer to the current Treaties in Force document located on the U.S. Department of State website to find the formal agreement title, signing date and location, and the entry into force date.

Refer to the Treaties and Other International Acts Series located on the U.S. Department of State website to find specific agreement texts.

 

Last Modified: Aug 30, 2023