9903.05.69 South Africa Section 301 Forced Labor: 12.5% Duty

Key Points

• HTS 9903.05.69 imposes an additional 12.5 percent ad valorem duty on all Chapter 1-97 products of South Africa, effective July 24, 2026, with no announced end date.
• The duty flows from a Section 301 forced-labor final action by USTR, dated July 23, 2026, and is governed by U.S. note 52 to Chapter 99.
• Every South Africa-origin entry filed on or after July 24, 2026 must carry 9903.05.69 as a secondary Chapter 99 line alongside the underlying Chapter 1-97 classification.
• This is a country-wide measure: no product exclusions are listed in the facts available as of September 14, 2026; confirm with the current HTSUS or your broker whether any have since been added.
• 9903.05.69 stacks on top of all other applicable duties, including MFN/column 1 rates and any other Section 301 or Section 232 measures already assessed on the same goods.

On this page

1. What 9903.05.69 is and who must care
2. Legal authority and program background
3. Product and country scope
4. Rate and effective window
5. How 9903.05.69 stacks with other duties
6. How it appears on a customs entry
7. What importers should do
8. Key references

The links in this article go to the primary documents: the USTR actions, CBP guidance, and the official tariff schedule itself. Read the source.

HTS 9903.05.69 is a Chapter 99 overlay code that adds 12.5 percent to the dutiable value of every South Africa-origin product covered by Chapters 1 through 97 of the HTSUS. It was created under the Section 301 forced-labor program and took effect on July 24, 2026. Any importer bringing South African goods into the United States on or after that date must declare this code on every affected entry line.

What 9903.05.69 is and who must care

Chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (hts.usitc.gov) is a temporary-measures chapter. Codes in this chapter are secondary classifications that ride alongside a product's permanent Chapter 1-97 number. They do not replace that underlying classification; they add to it.

9903.05.69 sits within the block 9903.05.20 through 9903.05.84, which is reserved for the Section 301 Forced Labor Investigation Program (U.S. note 52). Importers, customs brokers, and trade compliance teams handling goods from South Africa, regardless of product type, need to account for this code on every entry filed on or after July 24, 2026.

Important distinction: codes 9903.05.01 through 9903.05.09 belong to a separate Section 301 action targeting Brazil. Do not confuse the two programs. If your goods originate in Brazil, a different set of codes and rules applies.

Legal authority and program background

The authority for 9903.05.69 is a USTR Section 301 forced-labor final action issued on July 23, 2026. That action determined that forced-labor practices in South Africa warranted an additional tariff remedy under Section 301 of the Trade Act. The implementing tariff mechanism is U.S. note 52 to Chapter 99 of the HTSUS.

CBP operationalized the measure through CSMS message 69326983, which provides entry-filing guidance for affected shipments. The USTR final action and CBP's CSMS messages are the controlling documents; consult them directly for procedural details.

For context on how other countries were treated under the same program, see the related articles on 9903.05.67 Saudi Arabia and 9903.05.66 Russia, both also carrying 12.5 percent rates under U.S. note 52.

Product and country scope

Country of origin

9903.05.69 applies to products of South Africa, identified by ISO country code ZA. Origin is determined under the standard CBP rules of origin for non-preferential purposes. If your goods are substantially transformed in South Africa, they are South African origin and subject to this duty even if components came from elsewhere. If your goods merely transit South Africa, confirm with your broker whether they acquire South African origin before declaring them under this code.

Product coverage

The scope is all products classifiable in Chapters 1 through 97 of the HTSUS. There are no product-specific carve-outs listed in the facts available as of September 14, 2026. This is a broad, across-the-board measure: consumer goods, industrial inputs, agricultural products, and everything in between are covered if they originate in South Africa.

Because the HTSUS is a living document, confirm in the current schedule at hts.usitc.gov whether any product exclusions have been added after September 14, 2026.

Rate and effective window

The additional duty rate under 9903.05.69 is 12.5 percent ad valorem. This rate applies from July 24, 2026 onward. There is no announced end date as of the facts reviewed here (September 14, 2026). The rate is assessed on the customs value of the imported merchandise, calculated in the same way as other ad valorem duties.

Because there is no sunset date, importers should treat this as an open-ended cost until USTR formally modifies or terminates the action. Monitor USTR announcements and Federal Register notices at federalregister.gov for any future changes.

Use the duty calculator to model how the 12.5 percent add-on affects your landed cost across different customs values and alongside existing duty rates.

How 9903.05.69 stacks with other duties

The 12.5 percent is an addition, not a replacement. It stacks on top of every other applicable duty. For a typical South Africa-origin good, the total duty bill at entry will include:

• The MFN (column 1 general) rate for the Chapter 1-97 classification
• Any applicable Section 232 additional duties (for example, on steel or aluminum products)
• Any other Section 301 additional duties that may apply to the same goods from the same origin
• The 12.5 percent from 9903.05.69

The facts block does not specify an MFN cap for this code. If you believe another program's rate cap could limit total duties on your specific product, verify that position in the current HTSUS notes or with your broker. Do not assume a cap applies without confirming it.

For a broader overview of how 2026 Chapter 99 codes interact on entries, see the 2026 tariff code overview.

How it appears on a customs entry

On a CBP entry summary (CF-7501), 9903.05.69 is entered as a separate line paired with each Chapter 1-97 line that covers a South African-origin product. The Chapter 1-97 line carries the product's classification and the MFN rate. The 9903.05.69 line carries the same entered value and adds the 12.5 percent duty. Both lines reference the same entered value; the duties are calculated independently and then summed.

Brokers filing entries on or after July 24, 2026 for South Africa-origin goods should have added this code from the first day of effectiveness. If 9903.05.69 was omitted from an entry filed after that date, a post-summary correction or prior disclosure may be warranted. Consult CBP guidance at cbp.gov and review CSMS 69326983 for filing specifics. For more on how CBP formally requests information or proposes rate changes on existing entries, see CBP Form 28 and CBP Form 29.

What importers should do

• Audit open and future purchase orders for South Africa-origin goods and recalculate landed costs to include the 12.5 percent additional duty from July 24, 2026 onward.
• Review entries filed on or after July 24, 2026 to confirm 9903.05.69 appears on every South Africa-origin line; work with your broker to file corrections for any entries where the code was omitted.
• Monitor the HTSUS and Federal Register for product exclusions or rate modifications under U.S. note 52, as the program has no announced end date and may be amended.
• Verify country of origin documentation for goods with South African processing or transit to ensure origin determinations are accurate before applying or excluding this code.

Key references

• Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (USITC): official schedule including Chapter 99 and U.S. note 52
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: CSMS 69326983 and entry-filing guidance for Section 301 forced-labor codes
• Federal Register: USTR Section 301 forced-labor final action published July 23, 2026, and any subsequent modifications
• 9903.05.67 Saudi Arabia Section 301 Forced Labor: 12.5% Duty: companion article on the same program rate for Saudi Arabia
• 9903.05.66 Russia Section 301 Forced Labor: 12.5% Duty: companion article on the same program rate for Russia
• CBP Form 29: Notice of Action Explained for Importers: what to do if CBP proposes a rate change on a filed entry
• CBP Form 28: Request for Information Explained for Importers: how CBP requests origin or classification documentation