Trade
AGOA termination announced for January 2027Schedule the preference to become a bill
The eligibility review has reached the notice stage. Import planning now needs to account for a less preferential welcome.
- Executive owner
- Donald J. Trump / U.S. Trade Representative
- Status
- AGOA termination announced for January 2027
- Due
- January 1, 2027
- Paying for it
- Affected exporters and U.S. importers; potential customer price effects
ACTIVITY
UpdatedThe effective date belongs on the import calendar.
I have preferences too.
Eligibility changes require product-level guidance for importers.
People hear duty-free and become very attached to the FREE, nobody ever writes me a thank-you note for the duty part. Now we are examining the preference, very serious preference examining, and suddenly everybody knows exactly how important a little word on a customs form can be.
I want January marked clearly. Don't start tomorrow's tariffing with next year's calendar.
The announcement is not an instruction to stop all shipments.
Then leave the port on the map. I changed the welcome mat, I didn't move the ocean.
PUBLIC RECORD
USTR Jamieson Greer announced November 2 that South Africa and Rwanda would lose AGOA duty-free eligibility January 1, 2027, citing trade barriers and other eligibility concerns. South Africa said it would support affected industries and diversify markets while pursuing U.S. trade. Rwanda had no immediate response. The action changes preferences; it is not a ban on imports.