U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced last week their Simplified Entry Pilot for air cargo, a part of the Simplified Processes trade initiative. Announced on Nov. 9, applicants will be considered for 5 business days-making this week the last week to be eligible.
The goal of this and other initiatives, worked on in partnership with associations involved in international trade including the NCBFAA, is to simplify the trade process and reduce the number of data elements required to 13 from 27. Spaces are limited and only air cargo will be affected in this pilot-which starts at the end of December. However, additional tests for ocean and rail cargo are being planned for 2012 and 2013.
To be considered for participation in the pilot, importers and brokers must:
- Have an ACE Portal Account
- Hold Tier 2 status or higher in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism
- And submit an email to: cbpsimplifiedprocess@dhs.gov with the subject line “Simplified Entry Participant Request”
For more details, see the full CBP Press Release, or check out the Federal Register on Nov. 9 (available on the NCBFAA homepage).
