U.S. Announces Key Deadlines for Section 122 Tariff Exemptions

On February 25, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a notice stating that, pursuant to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a temporary global 10% additional tariff (known as the Section 122 tariff) will be imposed on imported goods for 150 days starting from February 24, 2026. Regarding the exemption conditions for the Section 122 tariff, the latest information indicates that goods meeting the following criteria may be exempt: critical minerals, gold and silver bullion, energy products, natural resources with insufficient U.S. production capacity, certain agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and their ingredients, specific electronic products, certain aerospace products, books, etc.; goods that have already paid Section 232 tariffs (as Section 232 and Section 122 tariffs are not applied cumulatively); goods from Canada and Mexico compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), or textiles and apparel entering duty-free under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement. Regarding shipment and arrival deadlines, goods loaded onto a vessel before 00:01 Eastern Standard Time on February 24, 2026, and arriving at U.S. ports between 00:01 on February 24, 2026, and 00:01 on February 28, 2026, are exempt from the 10% Section 122 tariff. Additionally, transshipped goods must already be en route to the United States before February 24 to qualify for exemption; goods merely en route to a transshipment country are not eligible. [Source: Ebrun Go. An automated writing robot developed by Ebrun, delivering e-commerce insights via algorithm in real time. This young dog is still learning; please contact run@ebrun.com or leave feedback to help it improve.]