CBP to Pilot ACE Initial Entry Summary Capabilities in Spring 2009, Etc.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice stating that it will begin implementing Automated Commercial Environment initial entry summary capabilities (ESAR A2.2) in Spring 2009 for the filing and processing of formal (type 01) and informal (type 11) entry summaries.
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With this deployment, CBP is laying the foundation for complete entry summary capabilities. CBP notes that type 01 and 11 entry summaries represent 96% of all entry summaries filed.
Pilot with Limited Number of Users at Four Points of Entry
Initial entry summary processing capabilities will be piloted at four ports of entry1 with a limited number of voluntary trade users. CBP states that the initial, controlled deployment of this functionality will allow CBP to ensure functionality is meeting users' needs.
Staggered Implementation to Give Trade Time to Prepare
Following successful implementation at the four ports, the pilot will be expanded to include additional ports using a phased approach. The staggered implementation gives trade users more time to prepare for deployment.
Benefits Include More Informative CATAIR Messages, New Census Warning Override Process, Etc.
The benefits of initial entry summary capabilities include more informative Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR) messages for the trade community and nationwide visibility of post-summary processing activities for all users.
Increased communication between CBP and the trade community will provide national visibility of forms, rejects, team reviews and other actions. Sharing information port-to-port through ACE is part of CBP's shift toward an account-based business approach and will support consistent implementation of trade policy and procedures.
Electronic responses will be stored with associated entry summaries, enabling them to be shared within CBP. A new Census warning process will enable the trade community to electronically override Census warnings via the submission of an override code through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI).
Serving as a preliminary step toward migrating from the Automated Commercial System (ACS), initial entry summary capabilities will result in integrated and enhanced automated entry summary processing in ACE.
(A November 2008 CBP ACE update presentation indicated that ESAR A2.2 was scheduled for deployment in May/July 2009 - August/October 2009. See ITT's Online Archives or 02/03/09 news, 09020330 5, for BP summary.)
1While CBP's notice does not announce the four points, in its general notice announcing its plans to conduct a test for ESAR A2.2, CBP invited ABI trade volunteers interested in submitting type 01 and 11 entries via ACE with regard to the number of expected ACE entry summaries that would be submitted to each of the following locations: Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Long Beach, Laredo, San Francisco, Seattle, Newark, JFK Airport, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Tucson, Tampa, Chicago, El Paso, Boston, San Diego, Buffalo, Detroit, and Atlanta. (See ITT's Online Archives or 08/27/08 news, 08082700, for BP summary announcing the test.)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 07/28/08 news, 08072805, for BP summary on a schedule slip of the M1 (e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail) release, which also delayed the deployment of ESAR A2.2.
See ITT's Online Archives or 11/03/08 news, 08110305, for BP summary of CBP Commissioner Basham ordering an independent review of ACE, etc.
See ITT's Online Archives or 09/04/08 news, 08090405, for BP summary of an updated ACE FAQ, which includes information on the ESAR releases.
See ITT's Online Archives or 02/10/09 news, 09021030, for most recent BP summary on updates to the ACE ABI CATAIR.
See ITT's Online Archives or 06/17/08 news, 08061710, for BP summary of an ACE ESAR fact sheet.)
CBP notice (dated 02/12/09) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/whats_new/ins_spring09.xml