CBP took several steps to help resolve some worries over industry's readiness for the planned Nov. 1 transition date to Automated Commercial Environment after an agency survey found concerns, CBP said. CBP outlined some of its recent work on the subject as part of a broad outline of the survey results (here). Industry leaders last month asked CBP to make some major changes to the ACE timeline because the risk of potential disruptions is too big (see 1506300016). Despite the worries, CBP found ACE users to be increasingly pleased with system operations, it said.

CBP will test several new features for Remote Location Filing as part of the agency's move toward required use of the Automated Commercial Environment electronic filing, CBP said in a notice (here). CBP will use the pilot to consider the reliability and viability of making more entry types eligible for RLF, it said. RLF allows for national permit holders to file an entry electronically away from where the goods are being entered.

CBP will begin a test of air cargo manifest filing for exports within the Automated Commercial Environment, the agency said in a notice (here). The voluntary test will require participants to submit export data electronically at least four hours before loading, the agency said. Currently, the complete manifest is required on paper CBP Form 7509 after departure, said CBP. The pilot will begin on Aug. 10 and is scheduled to last for two years, said CBP.

The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) for CBP will next meet July 29 in Rosemont, Illinois, CBP said in a notice (here).

CBP posted to its website an updated version of its CATAIR chapter on Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Entry Summary Create/Update (here), it said in a CSMS message (here). The revised CATAIR chapter includes changes "pertinent to additional Entry Type Codes (02, 06, 07, 12, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 34, 38, 51, and 52)," many of which CBP recently delayed until Oct. 31 (see 1506030054). CBP also included a revised
ACS-EI to ACE-AE Entry Summary Condition Cross Reference, updated with all the new ACE Entry Summary (AE) codes and additional information, it said. Both documents can be found on CBP's ACE CATAIR webpage (here) under the "Draft Chapters for Future Capabilities" section.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 29 - July 2 in case they were missed.

CBP will target 200 “top filers” in its efforts to promote industry adoption of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline for entry summary and cargo release, according to a press release issued by the Trade Support Network (TSN) following a conference held June 23-25 in Washington.

Exporter account registration and export trade reports went live in the Automated Commercial Environment on June 27 as expected, said the Census Bureau on July 1. Additional information for importer accountholders in ACE , including training material, is available (here), said Census. However, exporters with a current ACE import account or that have additional Employee Identification Numbers (EINs) that are not associated with a current ACE account “will be required to complete the U.S. Census Bureau’s vetting process for each EIN new to ACE,” it said. For technical questions related to ACE Exporter Account or ACE Trade Export Reports contact the CBP ACE Account Service Desk at 1-866-530-4172, selecting option 1, then option 2, or e-mail ACE.Support@cbp.dhs.gov, said Census.

CBP Miami will temporarily allow air carriers to accept copies of CBP Forms 3461, 7512 and/or 6043, the port director said in a information bulletin. "Filers and carriers not receiving the appropriate release messages, can present the appropriate entry packaged to the [Cargo Clearance Center] for release confirmation," it said. The temporary procedures are in response to ongoing problems with the Automated Commercial Environment Air Manifest transition. CBP allows the individual ports to provide work-around procedures while the agency continues to work to fix the problems (see 1506220016).

CBP released a new data dictionary (here) to help exporters classify Trade Export reports and make data objects more accessible to system users, the agency said in a CSMS message (here). The dictionary is meant to increase understanding of ACE reports and "assist users in identifying reports and/or data objects that best fulfill a particular business need and to encourage overall use of the reporting tool," CBP said. CBP will compile similar dictionaries for other stakeholder parties, including brokers, carriers, importers and sureties, it said.