Apple granted tariff exemption for Apple Watch

• Apple has been granted a tariff waiver on the Apple Watch.
• That means Apple doesn’t have to pay a 7.5% tariff when importing the finished devices from China.
• Apple’s iPhone dodged tariffs last December after the Trump administration reached a “phase one” trade deal agreement with China.

The U.S. trade representative has granted Apple’s tariff waiver request for Apple Watch smartwatches, enabling Apple to import the finished devices from China without paying a 7.5% duty.

Apple’s request was approved in a letter posted to the USTR website dated Friday.

The Apple Watch was one of Apple’s products facing tariffs as part of what the USTR calls “List 4A,” which went into effect last September. In February, President Donald Trump cut those tariffs from 15% to 7.5%.

Apple said in its request, filed last fall, that the Apple Watch is a consumer electronics device and that it’s not strategically important or related to China industrial programs. Apple also said that it hasn’t found an alternative source for Apple Watches that would be able to meet demand for the product in the U.S.

Apple applied for tariff waivers on other products including HomePod speakers, AirPods headphones, and iMac computers. It also has requested waivers on iPhone parts. Apple’s iPhone dodged tariffs last December after the Trump administration reached a “phase one” trade deal agreement with China.

An Apple spokesman didn’t have anything to add to the filing when reached by CNBC.