The United States has launched the third phase of tariff refunds for diamond and jewellery importers who paid duties imposed under President Donald Trump’s emergency tariff policy. For now, however, the refunds are limited to businesses that filed lawsuits against the government and obtained court orders directing customs officials to return the money.
What Phase III Covers
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched Phase III on October 6. The programme applies to importers whose cases are before the US Court of International Trade and who have secured orders requiring customs officials to reopen previously finalised import entries, remove the disputed duties and issue refunds.
The US Supreme Court struck down the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in February, but not every affected business can claim a refund under the current phase. Legal proceedings are continuing over refunds for importers who did not file individual lawsuits.
Eligibility Requirements and the Class Action Ruling
To qualify for Phase III, an importer must be a plaintiff in a relevant case and hold a court order directing CBP to reassess the import entry and refund the duties
The importer must also have provided a valid Importer of Record number to CBP by July 30, which identifies the party legally responsible for the customs entry
On October 8, the Court of International Trade certified a class action covering importers that paid IEEPA tariffs but did not file their own refund lawsuits, which could open a path to refunds for a wider group of businesses
The certification does not mean all affected importers can immediately claim refunds under Phase III
Guidance for Jewellery Businesses
The Jewelers Vigilance Committee has advised jewellery businesses to keep detailed records of tariffs paid, payment dates and related import numbers, which could support future refund claims
US customs officials estimate roughly US$166 billion in IEEPA duties were collected across about 53 million import entries, covering a wide range of imported goods, not only diamonds and jewellery
Importers should review the duties they paid, confirm who was listed as the Importer of Record, and check whether their import entries and legal cases meet the refund requirements
The programme does not cover tariffs imposed under other legal authorities