RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- CBP has “kicked off” an industry task force on customs broker continuing education requirements, and is committed to 2020 “being the year that we will tackle continuing education together” with the trade community, said Cynthia Whittenburg, deputy executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s trade office, at the Western Cargo Conference (Wesccon) on Oct. 11.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Brokers may still have a role in a blockchain world, but the profession could be different, and brokers need a seat at the table if they’re going to successfully transition, said government and industry officials during a panel discussion at the Western Cargo Conference (Wesccon) on Oct. 11.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 7-11 in case they were missed.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- CBP is seeing exponential growth in filing under its entry Type 86 pilot for de minimis shipments, spurred by the benefit of electronic release for the traditional air mode, said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo and security controls. And while the bulk of filing has been in the air environment, Swanson expects to see participation in the ocean and truck modes to rise as well once filers see they are able to clear cargo more quickly, he said at the Western Cargo Conference on Oct. 11.
The proposed minimum information requirements for broker verification of importer clients includes some onerous provisions that could reduce the use of customs brokers, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in comments to CBP on the proposal (see 1908130031). The proposal seems to let self-filers avoid the verification requirements, which seems likely to promote the use of self-filing by the parties that are being targeted by CBP, the group said. Comments on the proposal are due Oct. 15.
Mexico’s Secretariat of Finance recently issued its 2019 edition of its General Regulations on Foreign Trade. Among other things, the new edition changes the deadline for customs clearance of disassembled machines, production lines or disassembled prefabricated buildings to 90 calendar days (previously it was a period of three months), said a circular from the Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM). The change takes effect Dec. 1, 2019. More information is available in a Latin American Confederation of Customs Brokers (CLAA) circular.
CBP and the State Department’s Office of Marine Conservation will hold a call Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. to gather input as State develops its final rule on filing of shrimp exporter’s and importer’s declarations in ACE, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an emailed update. CBP and State have been accepting electronic data from Form DS-2031 and, in cases of countries not certified to export shrimp, the full DIS-2031 through the document imaging system, since a pilot began in 2016 (see 1606140007). As State prepares its final rule requiring ACE filing, it “would like to discuss the Trade's experience and feedback for the last three years,” according to the NCBFAA. Participants should dial (844) 767-5679, access code 6738926.
CBP should "reengage with the software community" though monthly Trade Support Network meetings, National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America President Amy Magnus said in an Oct. 3 letter to CBP's Office of Trade. The association said would like to discuss a series of concerns with the agency and hoped that the letter would spark an "ongoing dialogue."
CBP's requirement that consignees appoint customs brokers to be importers-of-record on Type 86 entries creates "a significant business risk and is likely to deter customs brokers from filing type 86 entries," the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in comments on the agency's test of the entry type (see 1908120019). The new entry type is being tested as a way to file informal entries in ACE for low value shipments. CBP is accepting comments through the duration of the test.
Argentina expanded its authorized economic operator program to include customs brokers, customs agents and “road transport shippers linked to foreign trade,” according to an Oct. 3 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. To participate in the AEO program, the brokers, agents and shippers must meet certain tax compliance and “commercial registration systems” requirements,” the report said. The change is part of Argentina’s effort to align its AEO program with the World Customs Organization's parameters, the HKTDC said.