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Effective
November 15, 2004:
All Customs clearances must have all release
data transmitted to U.S. Customs (usually performed
by the broker at the border) at least one hour in
advance of arrival to the border AND MUST
clear Customs utilizing either the PAPS (Pre-Arrival
Processing System) or FAST Carrier (Free And Secure
Trade) release programs (for FAST shipments the time
limit is 30 minutes). The only exception is for
shipments released via the
Border Release Advanced Selectivity System (BRASS,
formerly known as Line Release). Shipments
clearing via BRASS do not need to meet any prior
notice deadline BUT the driver of the vehicle
carrying BRASS freight must be a certified driver
under the FAST driver program. (Note: there are
two parts to the FAST program… the FAST Driver
program and the FAST Carrier program).
If your
company carries its own freight across the border
and you are not on the PAPS program, or for BRASS
shipments your driver(s) is/are not FAST approved
driver(s), then your shipments will be denied
entry into the
U.S.
Instructions for the PAPS program are here().
Instructions for the FAST driver program are
available on Customs website through this link…
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/commercial_enforcement/ctpat/fast/us_canada/cd_program/
If you carry your
own freight across the border, at the very least you
should proceed with getting onto the PAPS program,
if you haven’t already… U.S. Customs has stated that
they are phasing out the BRASS (Line Release)
program. Whole commodity lines are being removed
with only a few days advance notice. Customs has
not disclosed a timetable for the phase out…but
already we have seen many items removed from the
program… so, if you use BRASS, by applying for PAPS
you will be ready when this happens to you. Customs
reports that currently the PAPS application and
approval process takes about 2 weeks.
For shipments moving
thru the U.S. In-Bond, one-hour advance
notice will also be required. The Automated In-Bond
module MUST be used to transmit the pre-arrival
data. The only exception here is the use of the
Customs Automated Forms
Entry System (CAFES, i.e., line release for
in-bond shipments). But again, the driver of the
vehicle carrying CAFES freight must be a
FAST-certified driver. Both of these In-Bond
processing mechanisms will require more data to be
entered and/or transmitted. Further, the carrier
will have to be provided the document that is
created from the data we enter and/or transmit so
they have it when they the shipment crosses the
border. This additional processing time will result
in higher rates for the processing of In-Bond
shipments. These rates have yet to be determined
but they will be published prior to November 15th.
IMPORTANT: Due to volume, for Great Lakes to
transmit your data to Customs in a timely manner,
documents must be provided to us at least two hours
in advance of arrival to the border. For shipments
with multiple lines of classification additional
advance notice may be required and 24 hour advance
notice is not out of the question for very complex
entries.
Follow these links for the official notices from
U.S. Customs regarding the changes. If you have any
questions please contact your Great Lakes customer
service team |
