President Obama signed an executive order in February 2014 mandating the creation of a single window for trade that would reduce paper and streamline U.S. imports and exports. CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment is the backbone for this single window. Consequently, CBP and the other 47 government agencies involved with trade are working hard to deliver all core trade-processing capabilities in ACE and decommission the corresponding capabilities in legacy systems by the president’s deadline at the end of calendar-year 2016.
CBP has established mandatory use dates for ACE, details of which are on CBP.gov/ACE. A key date for many filers is Nov. 1, 2015. On that date, all electronic entries and associated entry summaries, including any partner government agency data on those entries and entry summaries, must be filed in ACE.
Anyone not already using ACE, needs to begin immediately. Nearly all entry summaries can be filed in ACE, and certain entries can be filed now in the air, ocean and rail modes, with the truck mode becoming available in early 2015. We also have several pilots underway with partner government agencies, and more are coming soon.
If filers are not filing entry summaries in ACE now and starting to work on the cargo release/entry piece, they’re behind the curve. CBP encourages all filers to work with their client representative on their transition to ACE as soon as possible. Filers who have questions can e-mail ASKACE@cbp.dhs.gov or contact their CBP client representative. Filers who don’t know their client representative should call the Client Representative Outreach line at 1-571-468-5500. Filers should refer to the ACE Development/Deployment schedule at CBP.gov/ACE for more information on the planned development and deployment of remaining ACE functionality.
The more time filers allow to test and work out any technical and/or procedural issues will reduce their risk to be able to support the transition to mandatory filing.
ACE is coming and those not ready when use becomes mandatory will be left behind.
Brenda Smith, Assistant Commissioner, Office of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection