CBP Added Corporate Surety POA Capabilites in ACE, Says TAO Update
CBP added numerous new capabilities to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) this year, including the ability for sureties to maintain their power of attorney using an ID number, the agency said in its ACE Trade Account Owner (TAO) update for November and December. The TAO includes a list of features added to ACE this year.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Recently added ACE features include:
December
- CBP deployed an enhancement allowing sureties to create and maintain their Corporate Surety Power of Attorney using an alphanumeric Agent ID number.
- CBP deployed enhancements which will send a UC message to the filer any time the scheduled liquidation date changes on ACE filed entry summaries. The 'Submitted Record/Missing Data Element' Syntax Rule was also eliminated in AE filings which in lieu of stopping the entire batch CBP will first process the batch and then identify errors.
November
- CBP expanded the Cargo Release/Simplified pilot to three additional airports, for a total of 16, completing Phase One of the pilot.
- CBP deployed document imaging capabilities allowing pilot participants to electronically provide documentation supporting their Simplified Entries via email.
October
- CBP announced the selection of 11 new pilot participants for the Cargo Release/Simplified Entry pilot.
- CBP deployed functionality that allows Remote Location Filing for Antidumping/Countervailing Duty entries filed in ACE.
September
- CBP successfully migrated all impacted trade partners to ACE e-Manifest: Rail and Sea.
- ACE became the only approved Electronic Data Interchange for transmitting required advance rail and sea cargo information to CBP.
- The Simplified Entry/Cargo Release pilot expanded to six additional airports.
- The export ocean manifest pilot became available at all ocean ports.
- The U.S. Coast Guard began successfully receiving automated production entry and entry summary data directly from CBP.
Informal Entry Change
The TAO update also informs the trade that coming changes to informal entry rules will eliminate the need for a surety bond. Currently, for any merchandise valued over $2,000, CBP requires importers to provide a surety bond, complete the CBP form 7501, and pay a minimum of $25 in Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF). The informal value limit will increase from the current limit of $2,000 to $2,500. This change will result in eliminating the need for a surety bond, expediting the customs clearance process, and reducing the required MPF amount to $2 (assuming the entries are filed electronically). The effective date for this change is Jan. 7.