U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that as of Sept. 25 its Electronic Certification System will transition to an updated version (eCERT 2.0) that will become the sole method for participating in the eCERT process.
eCERT uses electronic transmissions of information normally associated with a required export document, such as a license or certificate, to facilitate the administration of quotas and ensure that the proper restraint levels are charged without being exceeded. Foreign countries participating in eCERT transmit information directly, or via a global network service provider, to CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment. Specific data elements are transmitted to CBP by the importer of record (or an authorized customs broker) when filing an entry summary and those data elements must match eCERT data from the foreign country before an importer may claim any applicable in-quota rate of duty or the preferential duty rate under a tariff preference level.
Currently, Australia, Uruguay, New Zealand, and Argentina are approved for the use of eCERT for transmitting export certificates for certain beef entries subject to TRQ. Additionally, Mexico is approved for the use of eCERT for transmitting certificates of eligibility for certain textile and apparel goods that are eligible for preferential treatment under a TPL.
CBP states that eCERT 2.0 includes three new features that will implement additional validations that verify the authorized use of quota certificates: (1) the decrementing of quota certificates to prevent them from being overused, (2) enhanced querying capabilities for participating countries to query and track actual certificate usage, and (3) the ability for importers to query their usage of quota certificates via the Automated Broker Interface.
To participate in eCERT 2.0 importers must provide the participating country with the importer of record number in advance of filing an entry. The participating country, in turn, must submit the IOR number as an additional data element within the transmission for eCERT 2.0.
CBP is therefore recommending that importers share their IOR numbers with their exporters in advance of Sept. 25 to allow for participating countries to test the updated system with actual IOR numbers and avoid rejection of the transmission due to missing IOR numbers once eCERT 2.0 is deployed. In general, CBP states, importers will need to provide the IOR numbers only once to the participating exporter or country (which should be no later than 30 days in advance of filing an entry), but they should ensure that the exporter has the IOR number on file for future transmissions.
CBP notes that the transition to eCERT 2.0 will not change the TRQ or TPL filing process or requirements. Importers will continue to provide the export certificate or certificate of eligibility numbers from the participating countries in the same manner as when currently filing entry summaries. In addition, the format of the export certificate and certificate of eligibility numbers will remain the same for the corresponding eCERT transmissions.
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