CBP Pushes Back Mandatory Use of ACE for Entry/Entry Summary Filing

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have announced that in response to concerns about stakeholder readiness it is pushing back the deadline for mandatory use of the Automated Commercial Environment for all electronic entry and entry summary filing from Nov. 1, 2015, to Feb. 28, 2016. Information released by CBP sets forth the following schedule.

Nov. 1 – Beginning of a transition period for electronic entry and entry summary filings in ACE to allow industry and participating government agencies more time to test and provide feedback as they fully transition to the new system. The use of ACE will be allowed and encouraged for electronic entry and corresponding entry summary filings for entry types 01, 03, 11, 51 and 52, with or without PGA data.

Feb. 28, 2016 – ACE must be used and the Automated Commercial System will no longer be available for the filing of all electronic entries and associated entry summaries. In addition, electronic Food and Drug Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Lacey Act) data must be filed in ACE and ACS will no longer be available.

July 2016 (date to be determined) – Upon publication of a final rule by CBP, ACE must be used for filing data for the following agencies: Agricultural Marketing Service, APHIS (core), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Defense Contract Management Agency, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, Drug Enforcement Agency Enforcement and Compliance, Environmental Protection Agency, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Fish and Wildlife Service (contingent on FWS having its regulatory revisions in place before the CBP final rule is published), National Marine Fisheries Service and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Hybrid submissions will no longer be allowed.

CBP notes that these changes do not affect the Oct. 1, 2016, deadline for mandatory use of ACE for all remaining electronic portions of the CBP cargo process.