What is a COLA waiver?

Edited

When shipping wine or spirits to the USA, you must provide the label approval certificate / COLA that your importer has registered for you with the TTB - Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Samples of alcoholic beverages strictly for trade shows or canvassing purposes may, under certain conditions, be imported without a COLA/label approval certificate.

Importers of such samples must apply for a COLA waiver in the form of a letter.

The COLA waiver could be compared to a temporary visa that would only be valid for a specific shipment of a particular alcoholic beverage to a specific address or event.