CBP to Quickly Move to e-Bond System Once e-STBs Begin
LAS VEGAS -- CBP plans to roll out an electronic single transaction bond system (e-STB) in January and the agency is still on track to meet that goal, said Bruce Ingalls, director of the Revenue Divisions in the CBP Office of Administration. Ingalls and other panelists discussed plans for bonds April 7 at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America annual conference. Once the agency gets e-STB going, it will very quickly move to a wider scale e-bond system and "that will bring the continuous universe into the electronic environment," he said. CBP is still doing some work to identify the "impact points" of the planned changes, he said.
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CBP's plans to move toward e-STB processing will likely apply to Importer Security Filing bonds as well, he said. The agency has looked to increase the centralization of bond processing for some time (see 13121311) and the coming e-STB will mark an important development, he said. The current policy allowing for port directors to intervene and require a lower bond amount for higher value merchandise -- a yacht, for instance -- will likely continue in the future, said Ingalls. That ability will also likely eventually apply to the Centers for Excellence and Expertise directors, he said.