Nearly all the customs administrations, together with the traditional inspection techniques of goods (phisycal inspection, documentary controls), foresee a third type of controls based on the use of scanner devices. Their objective of such tools is to make more efficient the inspection process, accelerating the release of goods, due to the fact that through this metodology more invasive exams of goods can be avoided, replaced by a "photography" of the container's content. The WCO has developed, since 2009, Guidelines for the purchase and deployment of scanner devices, suggesting, among other things, the integration of the scanner techniques within the risk analysis systems used by the members of the Organization.

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After the European Union (see our article), now is the the turn of the United States to incorporate the new amendments to the Harmonized System adopted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) during the latest revision cycle of the main system of classification of goods at global level, adopted so far by 206 Countries and Customs territories.

On 29 December, the President of the United States signed a Presidential proclamation of amendment of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (the american Customs Tariff), to transpose such modification in the US legislation. Said amendments will be effective 30 days after the publication of the proclamation in the Federal Register (the Official Journal of the US), not yet out.