BC Greenhouse Builders is bound by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Services to ensure all residents of the United States complete an End User Agreement or “Ultimate Consignee at Time of Entry or Release” form for the import of greenhouse and greenhouse related products to the United States.
The directive can be found as Customs Directive No. 3550-079A:
https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/3550_079a_3.pdf
To summarize:
What Is Internal Revenue Services (IRS) Tax Number And Why Is It Required?
All goods entering the U.S. from overseas are considered Imports and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must approve all Imports for entry. CBP requires documentation which includes shipment details such as the identification of the Ultimate Consignee. An Ultimate Consignee is a person, party, or designee that is located in the U.S. and will receive the shipment (which is usually the buyer of the goods). An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) number, is used by CBP to identify the Ultimate Consignee.
There are two types of IRS numbers:
Employer Identification Number (EIN): Issued to business entities
Social Security Number (SSN): Issued to individuals
Without an IRS number, CBP does not know who the Ultimate Consignee is and therefore will not accept the shipment into the U.S.
U.S. Customs states the following.
"The appropriate identification number for the Ultimate Consignee is defined as an Internal Revenue Service employer identification number or a Social Security number. If the appropriate Ultimate Consignee identification number is not provided at the time of entry or release, entry of the merchandise shall be denied."
(Source: CUSTOMS DIRECTIVE NO. 3550-079A)
Are there other conditions to importing goods into the U.S. that I should be aware of?
Although rare, you may receive notification of a bill requesting you pay state sales tax if your shipment is examined by CBP. All greenhouses travel duty free with in North America and all brokerage fees are included in the freight costs. It should be noted that there may be state or provincial sales taxes which need to be self-declared as out of state purchases, as legislated by the governing territory.
Should you have further questions, please contact your sales representative at BC Greenhouse Builders at 1-888-391-4433.