Clarification on mandatory ACE filing timeline

Excerpt from: U.S. Customs and Border Protection | March 25, 2016

On February 8, 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued via CSMS an updated timeline for the mandatory filing of electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), and the decommissioning of electronic entry/entry summary filing capabilities in the Automated Commercial System (ACS). CBP is clarifying the mandatory transition timeline to include the following points:

1. CBP published a Federal Register Notice (FRN) on February 29, 2016 (81 FR 10264) advising the trade community that effective March 31, 2016 ACE is the sole electronic data interchange (EDI) system authorized by the Commissioner of CBP for processing certain electronic entry and entry summary filings.

2. Required filing in ACE for entry type 11 entries/entry summaries
The February 8, 2016 CSMS notice on the updated mandatory transition timeline included an erroneous reference to entry type 11 (Informal) in the summer 2016 timeframe. To clarify, electronically filed entry type 11 transactions are required to be filed in ACE in the following timeframes:

  • Electronic entry type 11 entry summaries, without PGA data other than APHIS Lacey Act or NHTSA, will be required to be filed in ACE on March 31, 2016
  • Electronic entry type 11 entries, without PGA data other than APHIS Lacey Act or NHTSA, will be required to be filed in ACE on May 28, 2016.

3. Entry summary filing with and without PGA data
As is stated in the February 8, 2016 CSMS notice, entry summaries without PGA data for the designated entry types are required to be filed in ACE effective March 31, 2016. This means that regardless of whether or not the underlying entry requires the submission of PGA data, the entry summary portion (the ACE AE entry summary filing) is required to be filed in ACE. Methods to file these transactions that are required in ACE on March 31st include:

  • ACE Entry/Cargo Release followed by ACE Entry Summary (two-step process)
  • ACS Entry (Release) followed by ACE Entry Summary (two-step process)
  • ACE Entry Summary certified for ACE Entry/Cargo Release
  • ACE Entry Summary certified for ACS Entry (Release)

4. Further PGA Clarifications

  • Disclaimers will be considered PGA data. If a NHTSA or APHIS Lacey Act entry is filed with a disclaimer for another PGA, the entry may still be filed in ACS after March 31, 2016.
  • Interim procedures, as explained in CSMS 16-000232, may be followed for ACE filings with NHTSA or APHIS Lacey Act that are paired with another PGA’s data, including disclaimers.

5. For this March 31, 2016 transition date, the lifecycle of an entry or entry summary filed in ACS prior to March 31, 2016 may be completed in ACS.

6. Filing in ACE today:

  • CBP strongly encourages filers to file as many of their electronic entries and entry summaries as possible in ACE today.
  • All electronic entries/entry summaries with APHIS Lacey Act and NHTSA data can be filed in ACE today and will be required in ACE on March 31 (unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction). These are the only two agencies whose data will be required in ACE on March 31.
  • Regardless of the mandatory dates, filers should be filing all available electronic entries and entry summaries, with or without PGA data, in ACE now. If filing with PGA data, please reference the PGA Pilot Information on CBP.gov for specific pilot information.
  • Please review full details of the ACE transition timeline on www.cbp.gov/acemandatorydates and continue to monitor this site for additional ACE information and resources.
  • Other questions can be directed to AskACE@cbp.dhs.gov.

7. The list of PGAs designated for the summer 2016 has been updated to include the following:

a. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
b. Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS)
c. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
d. Office of Marine Conservation (OMC)
e. Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA)
f. United States Trade Representative (USTR)