FTZ #214 Service Area

  • About Foreign-Trade Zone #214

    Foreign-Trade Zone #214 is located in Southeastern North Carolina (SENC) and offers individuals and businesses in 22 counties the opportunity to import foreign goods into a duty-free zone. The N.C. Department of Transportation is the Grantee and oversees FTZ #214 SENC.
  • What is a Foreign-Trade Zone?

    A Foreign-Trade Zone, or FTZ, is like a “duty-free” zone for businesses. FTZs are geographical areas at or near a U.S. Port of Entry where commercial merchandise is treated by U.S. Customs as if it were “outside the commerce of the United States.”  The U.S. FTZ Board licenses designated sites within an FTZ to have this special status.
  • What are the Benefits of Operating in a Foreign-Trade Zone?

    The growth in global trade and the need to level the competitive playing field on import taxes, called "duties," has accelerated the use of trade zones. The FTZ program allows U.S.-based companies to defer, reduce or even eliminate Customs duties on products admitted to the zone, providing important benefits to businesses and industries. Some of the benefits include:
    • Duty deferral
    • Duty elimination
    • Duty reduction
    • Federal and state tax savings
    • Transfers between zones with no duties
    • Reduced paperwork
    • Destruction of damaged or substandard goods without paying duties
     
  • What are the Advantages of FTZ #214 SENC?

    • FTZ service area encompassing a 22-county region
    • Midpoint between Maine and Florida
    • Air cargo facility at Kinston Regional Jetport, which can accommodate the world’s largest aircraft
    • Located along two major interstate highways with international trucking facilities
    • Encompasses rail and aviation facilities at Wilmington International Airport (ILM) and Kinston Regional Jetport (ISO), as well as two sea ports in Wilmington and Morehead City, N.C.
    • Skilled workforce, with customized training programs through North Carolina’s Community College System
    • Home to three industrial parks in the FTZ magnet sites, Global TransPark, Craven County Industrial Park and Wilmington International Airport, serving businesses in manufacturing and assembly, research, fulfillment centers, and warehousing and distribution, among others.
  • What is a Magnet Site?

    Magnet sites are essentially the same as the current general-purpose zone sites. A magnet site can be used by many importers.

    Current FTZ #214 Magnet sites include:
  • What is a Usage-Driven Site?

    ​“Usage-Driven” sites are managed by individual companies that commit to operating within the inventory and reporting requirements of U.S. Customs, after recommendation from FTZ #214 and approval by the U.S. FTZ Board.  “Usage-driven” sites are able to be approved in approximately 60 days.

SENC Foreign Trade Zone #214 
  • More Information

    Businesses interested in becoming a site within FTZ #214 SENC, or simply in learning more about FTZ opportunities, should contact the FTZ #214 SENC Administrator:

    General information about foreign trade zones can be found at www.naftz.org

Was this page helpful?