CBP plans to add features in ACE during this fall to allow for a connection between the Automated Export System and the national Vehicle Title Information System, the agency said in an updated ACE deployment schedule. “The enhancement enables CBP to access all information on the vehicle from one data query in AES,” the agency said. CBP has said a lack of automation related to automobile exports makes it harder for CBP to target criminal enterprises that often make use of fake titles (see 1903070027). CBP also aims to deploy the Global Business Identifier in cargo release in the winter of 2022, it said. “This enhancement will replace the Manufacturing Identification Code (MID), producing a unique identifier that captures complete data on shipper/seller and manufacturer information; eliminating duplicate MIDs and multiple companies being assigned the same MID.”
Descartes Systems acquired QuestaWeb, Descartes said in a March 1 news release. Descartes said paid about $36 million with cash on hand for the company, a trade management software company and ACE developer. “In today’s complex and dynamic regulatory environment, technology is crucial to ensure that supply chains are compliant and efficient at each step along the way,” said Ken Wood, executive vice president-product management at Descartes. “The addition of QuestaWeb’s FTZ solution brings an important capability to our Global Logistics Network and will help our customers manage the entire foreign-trade zone process, allowing them to minimize duties, fees and taxes while remaining compliant with CBP regulations.” Descartes has made several acquisitions in recent years (see 1901280021 and 1612280024).
The Census Bureau updated the Schedule B and Harmonized Tariff Schedule tables in the Automated Export System to “accept changes” to the new Jan. 1 codes, the Census Bureau said in a Dec. 30 email. Census said AES will accept shipments with “outdated codes” during a 30-day grace period beyond the Dec. 31 expiration date, but reporting an outdated code after the grace period will result in a “fatal error.” Census also said it updated the Automated Commercial Environment AESDirect program with the 2021 codes, adding the program will also accept outdated codes during the grace period.
More companies are seeking drawback payments as the economic slowdown has increased the importance of cash on hand, CBP officials and industry executives said during the American Association of Exporters and Importers virtual conference Aug. 20. “In general, I would say COVID's had a major impact on our businesses and it's also made our company even more focused on getting cash in the door,” said Kathleen Palma, senior executive for international trade compliance at GE. “One of the levers that our leadership has been looking at has been drawback.” At the same time, Palma expects that because the company is bringing in fewer shipments, that will be reflected in fewer drawback claims going forward.
In calls hosted by CBP on the last day of NAFTA, and the first day of USMCA, trade professionals were anxious to understand what they should change in paperwork.
Importers may want to delay filing for U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement reconciliation because the USMCA currently doesn't allow for post-entry refunds of merchandise processing fees, CBP officials said during a National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones webinar on June 16. Maya Kamar, CBP director for textiles and trade agreements, said that although the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is working with Congress for a legislative fix to the issue, CBP doesn't yet have clarity on whether such a bill will pass (see 2006050034).
The government is considering how quickly it can get through a legislative fix to U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement implementation provisions that allow for duty refunds on post-importation preference claims, but not a refund of merchandise processing fees, said Maya Kumar, director of textiles and trade agreements at CBP. She said on May 22 that CBP officials “do not think that was the intent of the law.” Kumar, who was speaking at the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones virtual conference, said that if it's at all possible, CBP would like to see that fixed by Congress before USMCA's entry into force July 1. “We’re trying to work with [the office of the U.S. Trade Representative] as well as Congress and see how quickly they can do that,” she said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will end its participation in a CBP pilot on electronic filing in ACE of export-related ATF forms and data (see 1607080020), ATF said in a notice. The Border Interagency Executive Council and the departments of the Treasury and Homeland Security “asked ATF to end the pilot,” the notice said. “Pilot participants can continue to function as they did while on the pilot. Participants will not notice any differences after the pilot has ended. At some point, CBP will mandate importers and exporters to use the ACE single window; however, [the Department of Homeland Security] needs all pilots successfully completed to move to their next phase of implementation. The termination of the pilot will not cause any delays for participating exporters, and CBP will continue to transmit the certificate of exportation to ATF electronically.” CBP has not yet announced a date for when the filing entries in ACE will be mandatory, the notice said.
CBP created a page dedicated to “technical documentation related to filing export related content to CBP and the Automated Commercial Environment's AESDirect.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to issue export control decisions for most shipments of controlled medical equipment within two days, but some shipments may take as long as four days, a FEMA spokesperson said April 21. Some law firms have advised medical equipment exporters to expect delays at ports across the country as FEMA makes those determinations, which involves a review of “letters of attestation” from exporters, who must certify that they qualify for one of several exemptions FEMA issued this week (see 2004200019).