May « 2010 « CustomsNow Blog

May, 2010

How are you preparing for CBP’s intent to increase audit activity in the coming months?

Friday, May 28th, 2010

At a recent American Association of Exporters & Importers (AAEI) Western Regional conference, Bob Allen of Customs & Border Protection’s (CBP) Regulatory Audit unit stated that the agency plans to increase its audit staff by 50+ over the next several years with a goal of auditing importers identified through its risk based approach. Mr. Allen indicated that, from an enforcement and penalty standpoint, CPB expects that an importer will have a comprehensive understanding of their import operations, even if the importer outsources its customs compliance to a third party.

In order to assist importers in gaining visibility into their import process, and to help avoid audit pitfalls, CustomsNow offers a high level, low cost review of your “Importer Trade Activity” (ITRAC) report.

This report can identify:

thorough understanding of your US import operations
risk areas where penalties and fines may be assessed for non-compliance with Customs and trade laws
duty savings and potential planning opportunities such as “First Sale for Export”, FTZs and other applicable special trade programs

For more information on our ITRAC review program, please contact CustomsNow.

Posted in Customs & Border Protection, General | Add Comment »

CBP’s Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) full of useful information

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Expanding access to what was once only available to those select few who had access to an ABI system, US Customs (CBP) has now created a free, searchable database of messages that are of interest to many: ABI Filers, ACE Event Participants, ACE Portal Accounts, ACE Reports Users, Air Carriers, Ocean Carriers, Periodic Monthly Statement Participants, Rail Carriers and Truck Carriers.

Not only that, CPB has launched an e-mail subscription service which provides timely notification of new messages based on each or any combination of item groups. Groups consist of Automated Broker Interface, ACE Outreach Events, ACE Portal Accounts, ACE Reports, Air Manifest, Cuentas en el Portal de ACE (Spanish), Ocean Manifest, Rail Manifest, Transportistas de Camion (Spanish) and Truck Manifest.

Use the CBP’s CSMS subscription form to select your area of interest and get your name added to the list.

Happy Reading!

Posted in Customs & Border Protection | Add Comment »

Fully electronic entry filing and duty payment – even in your “home” port

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Importers that “direct file” their entries with US Customs (CBP) reap many benefits, including faster processing of their filings. In that regard, direct filers have a clear advantage by being able to transmit an electronic invoice to the remote port of entry, whenever requested by Customs, prior to the release of the goods. However, some importers incorrectly assume that if the goods are clearing in the importer’s “local” port, the importer must revert back to sending physical documents via a messenger for both release and duty payment purposes.

Happily, that is not the case. As confirmed by CBP’s Remote Location Filing Team at Headquarters, the process remains the same, regardless of the port of entry. So, when an entry response from CBP is “Invoice Required,” the importer can easily complete the electronic invoice within their ABI application and transmit it to CBP for review. This not only saves money spent unnecessarily on paperwork processing and messenger fees, but it actually gets your shipments cleared faster! In just a matter of seconds, an invoice can be completed, transmitted and available in the CBP entry clerk’s inbox for review and approval.

For duty payment processing, the same is true. An electronic invoice is simply transmitted prior to payment approval for all “non-paperless” entries on the statement. If CBP requests any paper documents, they will do so via a CBP Form 28, post summary.

For more information , all CBP messages related to Remote Location Filing and Electronic Invoice Program can be found here.

Posted in Customs & Border Protection, Direct Filing | 2 Comments »

Ocean carriers and air freight industry optimistic on economy

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

In developing their business strategies, logistics professionals need to, of course, take a global view. In a recent post, Is It Smooth Sailing and Clear Skies for Ocean and Air Cargo?, SupplyChainBrain looks at the bigger supply chain picture, through the lens of ocean carriers and air freight transporters. Each industry has attempted to weather the global economic storm by reducing, retrenching and reconfiguring. Although each suffered significant losses in 2009 and 2010, both are hopeful that their recent actions will poise them for growth in a global economic turnaround. As the article notes:

As in ocean transportation, those air cargo providers who are best positioned for the recovery are the ones who have pared costs but are ready to provide a full palate of services. Perhaps there’s a lesson in what airfreight forwarders have done for years: diversify.

Learn what these service providers are doing, and see how it jives with your strategic planning.

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