Importer’s lament: “Why isn’t my release visible to my carrier?”
Nic Adams, CustomsNow‘s Vice President, Client Services, offers guidance for importers who are frustrated that their carriers don’t seem to have visibility to shipment releases even when there is a CBP release on the cargo:
I have a Customs release, and a 1USG, but my carrier says my shipment isn’t clear. I know I referenced the correct I.T. and Bill of Lading numbers on my entry (I didn’t receive any responses from CBP indicating a No Bill Match.) Why isn’t my release visible to my carrier?
We often receive this question from our clients. Invariably, it involves a shipment that is moving In-Bond via truck or rail.
After receiving the Arrival Notice with the I.T. information, the client enters the appropriate information into our ABI system and transmit the entry to CBP. Normally the cargo responses come back in this order:
- SE DATA ACCEPTED (SE=Simplified Entry)
- RELEASED (along with a Release Date which is the expected ETA at the inland port)
- DATA UNDER PGA REVIEW (for shipments subject to a PGA such as FDA)
- MAY PROCEED (along with a ONE USG meaning the shipment has cleared CBP and any/all relevant PGA’s)
At this point, most our clients will then query the bill of lading in the Automated Manifest System to ensure the release has posted to the bill of lading and that, therefore, the carrier has visibility to the release (a release is posted against a bill of lading in AMS with a code of ‘1C’).
But, no release has been posted. Why is that? The reason is that CBP posts releases to the carrier’s manifests based on different factors. These rules can be found on page 17 of US Customs’ ACE Cargo Release Business Process document:
CBP sends a notification of release to the filer, carrier, and the terminal facility/custodian as appropriate… That information is sent at different times for different modes of transportation.
- Land Border (Truck and Rail) – at time of arrival (may be sent earlier in rail depending on location)
- Ocean – as early as 5 days prior to the estimated date of arrival
- Air – as early as 4 hours prior to the estimated date of arrival
The key for truck and rail shipments is that the shipment must be arrived… not just physically arrived but deemed “arrived” in AMS. This means that the In-Bond status must be updated from ER (en route) to AR (arrived.) Then, and only then, will the 1C be posted to the bill of lading. It is not uncommon that carriers do not ‘arrive’ their In-Bonds timely and, in this case, we advise our clients to contact the carrier and request that they arrive the In-Bond so the customs release can post.
Please contact Nic if you would like to discuss this topic in more depth.
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