US Customs updates timeline for implementation of ACE electronic entry system

Excerpt: American Journal of Transportation | February 9, 2016

US Customs responding to industry concerns has delayed ACE implementation deadlines.

Working in close coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Interagency Executive Council, and the White House, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been actively tracking and assessing stakeholder readiness for the mandatory filing of all electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

While significant progress has been made, continued concerns about stakeholder readiness have necessitated an updated timeline for the mandatory transition to ACE for electronic entry and entry summary filing. This updated timeline continues to align with our December 2016 deadline for full implementation of the Single Window via ACE.

Taking into consideration the input from our stakeholders, CBP has implemented a staggered approach to the mandatory filing of electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries in ACE, and the decommissioning of electronic entry/entry summary filing capabilities in the Automated Commercial System (ACS). For further information on the dates and impacts, please visit www.cbp.gov/ace.

[Scarbrough = Experts in Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).]

UPDATED ACE TRANSITION TIMELINE

February 28, 2016

Beginning February 28, 2016 CBP will start divesting the legacy Automated Commercial System (ACS) by:

• Offering limited Client Representative and Technology Service Desk support to the trade for ACS entry/entry summary types that are available in ACE.
• Performing ACS maintenance during peak business hours.

Providing processing priority to ACE entries where corresponding ACS entries are still available.

March 31, 2016

Filers will be required to file in ACE and no longer permitted to file in ACS the following transactions.

Electronic entry summaries, associated with the following entry types, with no PGA data:

01 – Consumption
03 – Consumption – Antidumping/Countervailing Duty
11 – Informal
23 – Temporary Importation Bond (TIB)
51 – Defense Contract Administration Service Region (DCASR)
52 – Government – Dutiable

Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries, associated with the entry types above, with data for the following agencies:

• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for Lacey Act, unless paired with other Partner Government Agency (PGA) data
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), unless paired with other PGA data

The implementation of these capabilities through ACE means that the filing of the following transactions will no longer be accepted in ACS:

• Electronic entry summaries (Entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52) with no PGA data
• Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries (Entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52) with APHIS Lacey Act data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction
• Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries (Entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52) with NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction

May 28, 2016

Filers will be required to file in ACE and no longer permitted to file in ACS the following transactions:

Electronic entries, associated with the following entry types, with no PGA data:

01 – Consumption
03 – Consumption – Antidumping/Countervailing Duty
11 – Informal
23 – Temporary Importation Bond (TIB)
51 – Defense Contract Administration Service Region (DCASR)
52 – Government – Dutiable

Required filing of these entries includes those with APHIS Lacey Act and NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data.

Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries for the following transactions:

• Entry type 06 – Consumption – Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) with no PGA data
• Entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51, 52 with APHIS Lacey Act data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.
• Entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51, 52 with NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.

Required filing of this entry type includes entries with APHIS Lacey Act and NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data.

The implementation of these capabilities through ACE means that the filing of the following transactions will no longer be accepted in ACS:

• Electronic entries associated with entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52 with no PGA data.
• Entries and corresponding entry summaries associated with entry type 06 with no PGA data.
• Electronic entries/entry summaries, associated with entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52, with APHIS Lacey Act data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.
• Electronic entries/entry summaries, associated with entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52 with NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filings will continue to be allowed in ACS to provide more time for industry to transition to ACE. Further information will be provided on the mandatory filing in ACE for FDA data.

Summer 2016 (Specific dates to be provided)

Filers will be required to file in ACE and no longer permitted to file in ACS the following transactions.

Electronic entries and entry summaries, associated with the following entry types, with no PGA data (except for APHIS Lacey Act or NHTSA) will be deployed and must be filed in ACE:

‣ Entry Types:

02 – Consumption – Quota/Visa
07 – Consumption – Antidumping/Countervailing Duty and Quota/Visa

‣ Combination:

12 – Informal – Quota/Visa (other than textiles)
21 – Warehouse
22 – Re-Warehouse

‣ Entry Summary Types:

02 – Consumption – Quota/Visa
07 – Consumption – Antidumping/Countervailing Duty and Quota/Visa Combination
11 – Informal
12 – Informal – Quota/Visa (other than textiles)
21 – Warehouse
22 – Re-Warehouse
31 – Warehouse Withdrawal Consumption
32 – Warehouse Withdrawal – Quota
34 – Warehouse Withdrawal Antidumping/Countervailing Duty
38 – Warehouse Withdrawal – Antidumping/Countervailing Duty & Quota/Visa Combination

Throughout summer 2016, the following agencies will provide, if they have not already done so, functionality for filing electronically in ACE:

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Remaining APHIS data (APHIS Core)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Enforcement and Compliance Commission (E&C)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Tariff Bureau (TTB)

Agencies will provide further information regarding the conclusion of their pilots. For details on the current deployment status and how to participate in PGA pilots, please reference the PGA documentation at cbp.gov/ace-pga.

The implementation of these capabilities through ACE means that the following transactions will no longer be accepted in ACS:

• Electronic entries associated with entry types 02, 07, 12, 21, or 22
• Electronic entry Summaries associated with entry types 02, 07, 12, 21 and 22, 31, 32, 34 or 38

Further information will be provided on the deployment of remaining core trade processing capabilities in ACE, and the mandatory use of ACE for all remaining electronic portions of the CBP cargo process.

‣ Optional and Available ACE Functions during Transition

In addition to the specified filing requirements for each mandatory date, electronic filings will be permitted for those wishing/opting to file in ACE prior to the mandatory filing requirements in ACE for the following:

• Entry summaries associated with entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51, and 52, until March 31, 2016 when they are required in ACE
• Data for APHIS Lacey Act or NHTSA, until March 31, 2016 when it is required in ACE
• Entries associated with entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51, and 52, until May 28, 2016 when they are required in ACE
• Entries and entry summaries associated with entry type 06, until May 28, 2016 when they are required in ACE

We would like to reiterate that the updated transition timeline aligns with the December 2016 deadline for full implementation of the Single Window via ACE.
CBP appreciates all efforts from the CBP, trade community, and PGA stakeholders as we continue to work together toward the complete and successful transition to ACE.