CBP is seeking comments to some additional changes to the Importer ID Input Record (CBP Form 5106), the agency said in a notice (here). CBP previously asked for comment on major revisions to the form in October last year (see 14100815). Some of the planned changes were controversial among industry (see 1412090024 and 1412240014). The agency addressed some of those concerns in this request for comments. Comments are due Aug. 26.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP and Mexico's customs agency are making progress toward full recognition of the countries' respective trusted trader programs, said Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske during a speech at the Wilson Center's Mexico Institute on June 17 (here). Kerlikowske also discussed the Automated Commercial Environment's (ACE) impact on building a competitive U.S.-Mexico Border and ongoing work to harmonize data elements between the two countries. The recent election of Ana Hinojosa as the Director of Compliance of the World Customs Organization reflects the international respect for the U.S. plans for a "Single Window," said Kerlikowske (see 1506150018).
CBP is going through a "revolutionary series of changes, both culturally, organizationally and through our implementation of new technology that will fundamentally change in every way that we look at trade enforcement," said Michael Denning, an advisor on Cargo and Conveyance Security in the CBP Office of Field Operations. Some of the key areas for agency focus during this evolution include a drive toward consistency between the ports and the Centers of Excellence and Expertise, he said on May 27 while speaking at the West Coast Trade Symposium. Risk targeting has improved and the agency is now building on some of that through the expansion of Trusted Trader within the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, he said.
The second phase of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) Portal 2.0 “is now live,” allowing exporter-only entities to apply for C-TPAT membership, said CBP in a CSMS message (here). “Companies that desire to initiate a brand new security model application to C-TPAT as an exporter” may now apply, it said. Importers who have already signed the Export Agreement have automatically had their C-TPAT security model expanded to include the exporter security criteria that now require responses, as well as other data fields unique to exporters that must be completed, said CBP. Importers that have not signed the Export Agreement will be able to expand their security model when CBP releases the next software update “in mid-June,” said the agency.
CBP plans to deploy the second phase of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) on May 30, the agency said (here). CBP delayed a roll out of several new features to C-TPAT, including the addition of exporters, earlier this month (see 1505190026).
The rescheduled deployment of the updated Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) is expected soon, said Shawn Porter, Supervisory Supply Chain Specialist at CBP, during a webinar hosted by Integration Point on May 21. CBP delayed a roll out of several new features to C-TPAT, including the addition of exporters, earlier this month (see 1505190026). A new rollout date must still be approved by CBP leadership "but it will be weeks, not months," he said. The delay was due to "technical issues that could not be resolved in the twelve-hour blackout window that we had been provided," Porter said.
The U.S. and Canada plan to launch a joint application process for highway carrier participation within the respective trusted trader programs, said the White House in its 2014 Beyond the Border Implementation Report (here). The report details recent progress on the Beyond the Border plan, a combined effort by the two countries to improve travel and trade processing. CBP has previously discussed ongoing work to align the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program with Canada's Partners in Protection (PIP) program (see 1412050024).
CBP delayed an update of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) portal, the agency said in a CSMS message (here). As a result "enhancements that were indicated during pre-release messaging, including the ability to apply as an Exporter, will not be available until further notice," CBP said. CBP previously said it would deploy C-TPAT 2.0 on May 16 (see 1504230015) and begin to allow for exporters to join the program on May 17 (see 1505110007).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for May 11-15 in case they were missed.