CBP Issues Q&A as Follow-Up to Buffalo ACE Exchange V
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site a question and answer document on outstanding questions from the importer/broker session and a supplemental breakout session for importers, brokers, and ABI software developers held during the Buffalo, NY ACE Exchange V conference that CBP hosted on June 4-6, 2007.
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The document also includes Q&A from a port visit with import and entry specialists. (See future issue of ITT for summary of the Q&A from the carrier session.)
Importer/Broker Session
The following are highlights of the outstanding Q&A from the importer/broker session:
Bundling payments in ACE. Regarding the bundling of payments in ACE - CBP states that it is planning on allowing an account to use the Portal to indicate what they are paying and how they want to make those payments.
Size of ACE reports. The new ACE reports tool now has a 240,000 line limit compared to the old reports tool which has a 60,000 line limit.
No plans for FDA/HTS correlation. CBP states that there are no plans to correlate HTS numbers with Food and Drug Administration product codes at the current time; however, this may be something that CBP will investigate in the future.
No plans for part numbers in account profile. CBP states that there are no plans to house the storage of part number detail in the account profile at the current time; however, this may be something that CBP will investigate in the future.
Mandatory e-Manifest: ultimate consignee for consolidated entries. The trade has a concern with the definition of "ultimate consignee," in particular, with regard to consolidated entries (multiple "sold to" parties with a single ultimate consignee).
CBP's response is that for purposes of release, the ultimate consignee is the purchaser of the goods. For purposes of manifest, the term "ultimate consignee" is not used; only "consignee" is used. The consignee is the party to whom the merchandise is being delivered via the carrier crossing the border.
Supplemental Breakout Session for Importers, Brokers, ABI Software Developers
The following are highlights of the Q&A from the supplemental breakout session:
Blanket overrides for Census warnings. Regarding overriding a Census warning up front and using blanket overrides - CBP states that the trade would have to talk to their vendor to see if they can get the system to do a blanket override for the goods. With respect to ACE, the importer would need to report it per line. CBP states that as it moves further along in functionality, Census has expressed an interest in working individually with some companies that have particular issues with regard to certain commodities.
CBP Forms 28, etc. in ACE. Regarding a question on why the importer, and not the broker, would receive the CBP Forms 28s, 29s, and 4647s via the ACE Portal, CBP states that this information will be provided to the broker via ABI and to the importer via the ACE Portal. Mail will be the default communication.
PSCs and marks against brokers. Regarding how CBP will handle information it receives on Post Summary Corrections and whether it will change its policy allowing 10 days to make changes without having a "mark" against the broker - CBP states that it has never had this information before and has not yet made any determination on what it will do with all of this information.
Port Visit
The following are highlights of the Q&A from CBP's port visit:
Still 10 days to file an entry summary. CBP states that the trade will continue to have 10 days to file an entry summary; this will not change.
Timeframe for submitting "documents required." CBP states that it is leaning toward 30 days for the submission of documents. The trade has discussed this with CBP is aware that CBP will be issuing penalties if the documents are not submitted on time.
Entry date in ACE. With regard to the date of entry in ACE, for purposes of the entry summary record, CBP has provided an additional date field. This takes into consideration, for example, the single ID processing.
Potential enforcement issues for paperless environment. Regarding a concern that CBP is going to miss a lot of potential issues for purposes of enforcement if it goes paperless, CBP not really examining the paper, and things passing system edits -CBP states that many things can pass system edits, but that same problem can also be said of processes in today's environment that are paperless. CBP can always decide to review a specific entry summary for whatever reason deemed appropriate.
Single entry bonds. CBP will not input single entry bonds in this release; Entry Summary, Accounts and Revenue (ESAR) A1 will only include continuous bonds.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 09/12/07 news, 07091240 3, for BP summary announcing this action item Q&A, along with an action item Q&A from the carrier session of the ACE Exchange V conference.)
CBP ACE Exchange V Q&A document (posted 09/05/07) available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/ace/reports_briefings_events/ace_ex_conf/ace_exchange_four/ace_exchange_v/importer/ace5_qas_broker.ctt/ace5_qas_broker.doc