U.S. Customs Form: CBP Form 216 – Application for Foreign-Trade Zone Activity Permit

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Form 216 is used by importers to apply for a permit to perform various activities on goods stored in a Foreign-Trade Zone. Foreign trade zones allow companies to import goods into the physical territory of the United States for the purpose of further processing or manipulation without paying duties on the imports.  They are typically used by American exporters who want to source components from overseas for use in their manufacturing processes without having to pay tariffs.  Form 216 is required to perform certain activities on goods imported into one of these designated foreign trade zones.