The December issue of the American Shipper Magazine is out, and we are excited to note that it includes an article mentioningCustomsNow, and our import software solutions.
The article, “Shifting Into Gear”, written by American Shipper’s Chris Grillis, talks about CBP’s new requirement that in-bond entries be filed electronically as of November 2017. This was announced by CBP, in a Federal Register notice dated September 28th, 2017 (read more here), giving the trade little time to adjust to the new requirements. Many companies managing in-bond entries have still been processing their in-bonds with CBP manually (with paper).
Nic Adams, CustomsNow’s VP of Client Services, is quoted in the article, as well as Cody Armes of Mid-Gulf Shipping, a CustomsNow client. The entire article is included below, or can be accessed by registering with American shipper here.
As a follow up to our eariler blog, November 27th, 2017 is the implementation date for CBP’s updated in-bond regulations. CBP’s mandated electronic filing of all In-bonds for ocean, rail and truck merchandise as well as six-digit HTS.
CBP has issuedCSMS #17-000736 to further clarify CBP’s enforcement strategy for these new requirements.
Need help navigating this change? CustomsNow can help you automate the in-bond process. Doing so will provide savings in time and/or money, plus provide valuable visibility to the status. Learn more here.
Attention Carriers!New CBP Requirement: ALL In-bonds must be filed electronically, effective Nov. 27th, 2017!
As initially announced by CBP in CSMS# 17-000621“Publication of an FRN Concerning Changes to the In-Bond Process”, and theFederal Register Noticedated September 28th, effective November 27th, 2017, CBP will now require that all in-Bonds must be filed electronically, with only limited exceptions.
Under this new rule, ELECTRONIC in-bonds are required for ocean, rail, and truck merchandise, PLUS the six-digit HTS will also now be required.
The methods available to submit an in-bond are through ACE (manifest) or ABI (QP/ WP). Read the Federal Register Notice here.
Bonded carriers and facilities can manage their own electronic filing process, and CustomsNow can assist with this transition. We are an ACE-certified, ABI software provider with QP/WP functionality and licensed brokerage support.
The benefits of electronic in-bond filing with CustomsNow are:
Nic Adams, CustomsNow’s Vice President, Client Services, offers guidance for importers who are frustrated that their carriers don’t seem to have visibility to shipment releases even when there is a CBP release on the cargo:
I have a Customs release, and a 1USG, but my carrier says my shipment isn’t clear. I know I referenced the correct I.T. and Bill of Lading numbers on my entry (I didn’t receive any responses from CBP indicating a No Bill Match.) Why isn’t my release visible to my carrier?
We often receive this question from our clients. Invariably, it involves a shipment that is moving In-Bond via truck or rail.
After receiving the Arrival Notice with the I.T. information, the client enters the appropriate information into our ABI system and transmit the entry to CBP. Normally the cargo responses come back in this order:
SE DATA ACCEPTED (SE=Simplified Entry)
RELEASED (along with a Release Date which is the expected ETA at the inland port)
DATA UNDER PGA REVIEW (for shipments subject to a PGA such as FDA)
MAY PROCEED (along with a ONE USG meaning the shipment has cleared CBP and any/all relevant PGA’s)
At this point, most our clients will then query the bill of lading in the Automated Manifest System to ensure the release has posted to the bill of lading and that, therefore, the carrier has visibility to the release (a release is posted against a bill of lading in AMS with a code of ‘1C’).
But, no release has been posted. Why is that? The reason is that CBP posts releases to the carrier’s manifests based on different factors. These rules can be found on page 17 of US Customs’ ACE Cargo Release Business Process document:
CBP sends a notification of release to the filer, carrier, and the terminal facility/custodian as appropriate… That information is sent at different times for different modes of transportation.
Land Border (Truck and Rail) – at time of arrival (may be sent earlier in rail depending on location)
Ocean – as early as 5 days prior to the estimated date of arrival
Air – as early as 4 hours prior to the estimated date of arrival
The key for truck and rail shipments is that the shipment must be arrived… not just physically arrived but deemed “arrived” in AMS. This means that the In-Bond status must be updated from ER (en route) to AR (arrived.) Then, and only then, will the 1C be posted to the bill of lading. It is not uncommon that carriers do not ‘arrive’ their In-Bonds timely and, in this case, we advise our clients to contact the carrier and request that they arrive the In-Bond so the customs release can post.
Please contact Nic if you would like to discuss this topic in more depth.
In follow up to our recent blog post on this topic, US Customs has announced that it expects to deploy a fix on September 15 to address a glitch in ACE requires filers of certain in-bond entries to contact their CBP client representatives to intervene, for the time being, to generate an arrival message.
A glitch in ACE requires filers of certain in-bond entries to contact their CBP client representatives to intervene, for the time being, to generate an arrival message.
Per CSMS #16-000731: For ACE Cargo Release entries moving in-bond from FTZ facilities to bonded warehouses, the bill of lading type “FTZ Withdrawal” doesn’t generate an arrival message which is necessary for ACE Cargo Release processing to occur. For any entries in this scenario which remain in Admissible status after successful submission and manual release by Ports if applicable, please contact your Client Rep and reference existing ticket # INC000002914731. The ACE Cargo Release team is working on an update which should be deployed to PROD by 9/9/2016. An additional CSMS will be sent when the update has been deployed.
As ACE replaces ACS as US Customs’ official system of record, the trade is at last moving to a paperless environment. However, many are uncertain about how to document cargo release information with the discontinuance of the CF3461.
The easiest and most accurate way to determine when a shipment has cleared CBP and PGA is to run an ACE Cargo Query (CQ) to verify that the “1C” is on file. A customs release is signified by a ‘1C’ being posted to the bill, and this is the same information that carriers use to determine if cargo has cleared and can leave their bonded facility.
In addition to providing the release date and time, an ACE Cargo Query shows the entire ‘life’ of the bill in AMS including when the carrier filed their manifest, when an ISF was filed against the bill, if any holds were placed (e.g. VACIS X-Ray, CBP-Ag, FDA, etc.) and when the hold was subsequently released.
CBP is encouraging “non-automated” facilities to get automated for this reason, since ACE allows for this type of “paperless” environment. CustomsNow™ offers our Cargo Query System (CQS), our NEW subscription-based tool that delivers real-time, immediate proof of CBP and PGA cargo release for entries filed in ACE. Perfect for importers, as well as container freight stations (CFS), bonded warehouses, carriers, and freight forwarders, who require instant visibility of the status and/or release of imported items. CQS also shows visibility into the status of in-bonds, PTTs, plus confirms quantity, arrival information, and more. Learn more.
With the February 28 deadline to file import entries in ACE looming, rest assured that with CQS, you can get immediate electronic proof of CBP and PGA releases for imports. Perfect for importers… and if you are a container freight station (CFS), bonded warehouse, terminal facility, or freight forwarder, you NEED this. Per US Customs’ mandate, all non-automated parties MUST get automated to obtain electronic proof of CBP and PGA release. CQS also provides ability to create, update and arrive in-bonds, initiate PTTs, or just the ability to see their status.
Check it out here! And contact us now to schedule a demo!
Recently, we discussed glitches in ACE that prevented carriers from seeing release messages for air cargo, even though the filers receive paperless releases in ACE. To address the issue, the Port of Los Angeles announced a paper-based workaround, which was extended through July 31, 2015.
While the overall air manifest environment is improving in performance, technical issues remain. Therefore, the Port of LA has extended the paper workaround until further notice, and has provided additional guidance for the trade.
In our recent blog post, we discussed glitches in ACE that prevented carriers from seeing release messages for air cargo, even though the filers receive paperless releases in ACE. To address the issue, the Port of Los Angeles announced a paper-based workaround.
Today, the Port of LA has updated its guidance by extending the paper workaround until June 24, 2015 and providing a paper Permit to Transfer form for carriers and filers to obtain manual signatures for in-bond cargo movements.
