As part of its continued public outreach, US Customs (CBP) recently hosted an Importer Security Filing (ISF) webinar for small-to-medium sized importers. Panelists included John Jurgutis, Branch Chief, Vessel Manifest and ISF, and Craig Clark, Program Manager, who offered the following ISF program highlights:
ISFs by the numbers (1/26/10 – 5/2/10)
- 2,453,200 ISFs submitted
- 2,372,907 ISFs accepted (97%)
- 80,293 ISFs rejected (3%)
- 2,226 filers
- 123,000+ importers of record
Top 5 error messages
- Duplicate ISF
- Invalid ISF transaction number
- Invalid country code
- Invalid HTS#
- Invalid ID code
Top ISF issues identified
- How does CBP measure timeliness?
- Although regulations state 24 hours prior to lading, the practical approach measures by the vessel departure date minus 24 hours
- Which bill of lading number should be used?
- Must use the lowest bill of lading transmitted in AMS (house or regular)
- Importer can’t get a bond because it missed the filing deadline
- CBP is considering creating a Type 13 “Late ISF” coded transaction
- Importer did not receive ISF “Bill on File” match message
- CBP recognizes this as common issue when ISF filing precedes filing of customs manifest; recommends that importer or agent correct bill type on ISF
CBP ISF enforcement strategy
- Apply a measured, commonsense approach to enforcement
- Exercise the least amount of force necessary to obtain full compliance
- Evaluate non-compliance on a case-by-case basis
- Continue to provide outreach and guidance to the trade.
The webinar’s full PowerPoint presentation is available here.
