U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to conduct a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test allowing Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) participants to submit official documents via the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Importers and Brokers will be allowed to submit CBP and specified Participating Government Agency (PGA) forms to CBP in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format, in lieu of conventional paper methods. The test will be known as the Document Image System (DIS) Test. Only importers or brokers using ACE for entry summary files will be eligible to participate. DIS document submission rules are on page five, and a list of documents supported within the first phase of the test are on page six. The document doesn't mention the DIS "Export Manifest" pilot.
The following ACE Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR) Chapters and related documents have undergone minor revisions and are posted to the CBP website.
Broker Power is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 26 - March 30, 2012 in case they were missed last week.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the regular ACE Maintenance Window (Saturday 2300 EDT - Sunday 0500 EDT) was to be extended on Sunday, April 1, 2012. The extended window was scheduled from 0500 EDT - 0930 EDT. CBP also said the March 31, 2012 maintenance window scheduled for 23:00 EDT (11pm) began earlier at 22:15 EDT (10:15pm).
The September 29, 2012, cutoff date for use of Automated Manifest System/Automated Commercial System (AMS/ACS) will affect non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs), terminal operators, port authorities and other entities that receive secondary party notifications in addition to master vessel operator common carriers (MVOCCs). As of Sept. 29, 2012, Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) will be the only acceptable electronic data interchange (EDI).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted an updated version of its spreadsheet of ACE ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Types) programming issues.
Automated Commercial Environment Reports wasn''t available for three hours beginning 9 PM EST on March 27, 2012. Any reports scheduled to run during this time were scheduled after ACE Reports goes back on line.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) review on e-Manifest: Trucks. It provides information on how to store account information in the ACE, mandatory exemptions, submitting an e-Manifest, in-bond shipment information, etc.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has set the deadline to cutover to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) e-Manifest: Rail and Sea (M1) for the submission of required advance information for ocean and rail cargo. In its public notice, CBP said it recently completed the testing of ACE M1, and, after a six-month transition period, ACE will be the only CBP-approved EDI for such information as of September 29, 2012.