Upcoming Message Changes for Certain ACE ABI Application Identifiers (To Affect All ABI Filers)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message which announces that two rules in the Batch & Block Control Chapter of the ACE ABI CATAIR1 must soon be adhered to for all messages for six ABI application identifiers, or fatal errors will result.
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CBP to Require Adherence to Two Rules No Earlier Than March 15th
According to CBP, the two chapter rules will require adherence no earlier than March 15, 2009, when the first ACE Entry Summary programming changes are deployed.
Will Affect All ABI Filers
The requirement to adhere to the two chapter rules will affect all automated ABI filers whether or not they will be participating and sending ACE entry summaries. CBP explains that the two rules will impact all ABI software packages capable of transmitting application identifiers TI and KI, even those not developing for ACE entry summary at this time.
CBP adds that this functionality is now available for testing in the ACE Certification Environment, and that any questions should be directed to client representatives.
List of Affected ABI Application Identifiers
The six affected ABI application identifiers are:
| AE Entry Summary Create/Update | CJ Census Warning Query |
| CW Census Warning Override | JC Entry Summary Query |
| KI Importer/Bond Query | TI Importer/Consignee Create/Update |
(As additional ABI application identifiers are subjected to the new rules, CBP states they will be added to the ACE ABI Batch & Block Control Chapter.)
Details of the Two Rules That Must be Adhered To
The two rules that must be adhered to no earlier than March 15, 2009 are:
- The Application identifier has been added to positions 26-27 of the Batch Control Header (Input A-Record) as a mandatory field.
- The values in the Block Control Trailer (Input Y record) for Processing District/Port Code, Filer Code, Application Identifier Code, and Processing Filer Office Code must be identical to those same values in the previous Block Control Header (B-Record).
(CBP notes that in the fall of 2007 KI and TI messages were rerouted to ACE for processing with the deployment of ESAR A1. At that time ABI filers were not required to make any changes to the format of messages they were sending.
In November 2008, CBP issued a CSMS message advising ABI developers of the posting of the new ACE ABI Batch & Block Control Chapter to the CBP Web site and indicated that the rules therein would apply only to the above-listed ABI application identifiers specified in the chapter.)
1Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Automated Broker Interface (ABI) Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 09/11/07 news, 07091105, for BP summary announcing ESAR A1 was deployed on September 9, 2007.
See ITT's Online Archives or 02/17/09 news, 09021705, for BP summary announcing CBP will begin implementing ESAR A2.2 in Spring 2009.
See ITT's Online Archives or 11/26/08 news, 08112620, for BP summary of CBP posting the Batch & Block Control ACE ABI CATAIR chapter. )
CSMS 09-000082 (dated 02/13/09) available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17468&page=&srch_argv=09-000082&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby
ACE ABI Batch & Control chapter (posted 11/21/08) available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/ace_edi_messages/catair_main/abi_catair/catair_chapters/abi_bb_control.ctt/abi_bb_control.doc