U.S. Customs and Border Protection has postponed from Oct. 7 to Nov. 12 the date on which it will begin rejecting Air Cargo Advance Screening submissions with vague cargo descriptions.
Emphasizing the requirement for carriers and other parties electing to file ACAS data to provide a precise description of the cargo, CBP announced last month that it is cracking down on the use of vague cargo descriptions such as “gift”, “daily necessities”, “accessories”, “parts,” and “consolidated” (the last of which is only acceptable at the master bill level). Click here for more examples, though CBP notes that this is not an exhaustive list.
Specifically, CBP said it was implementing a period during which warning messages would be emailed daily to the listed ACAS 24x7 point of contact with a summary of each vague description from the previous day.
CBP had planned to terminate this warning period Oct. 6 and to begin rejecting ACAS submissions with vague cargo descriptions effective Oct. 7. However, CBP now states that the warning period will end Nov. 11 and that rejections will be effective at noon EST on Nov. 12.
CBP has said it expects ACAS filers to screen data for compliance with cargo declaration regulations, process warning and rejection notifications, and work to immediately correct any issues with the shipper and bill of lading issuer. CBP has warned that if it identifies any enforcement concerns it may take additional actions.
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