ACE Record keeping
On January 28, 2016 U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued long-awaited guidance on recordkeeping in the ACE environment. The guidance simply states that importers must retain data that was transmitted on their behalf. This does not necessarily mean keeping the 7501 or 3461 paper forms on file.
So what is actually required for your company to keep on record? The data that CBP requires for record keeping can actually be retrieved from the U.S. Customs broker that provided that same info through ACE to U.S. Customs via a scheduled ACE Report. This is done with ease!
No longer is the 7501 paper that the broker previously provided to U.S. Customs considered the record in front of a court or CBP, but rather just the data itself. CBP is currently transitioning from the old platform to a paperless environment. CBP’s switch to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) means no more paper copies (i.e. 7501 Entry Summary and 3461 Entry).
Please note that obtaining an ACE Portal Account on behalf of your company is key to ensuring you meet your record keeping requirements with CBP.
ACE Portal Accounts are free and instructions on how to apply are below.
Application works best in Internet Explorer
Download Record Keeping Guide (PDF)
Scarbrough has been filing via ACE since 2009 and was one of 20 first broker in the country to do so. Our experts can answer your questions. If your current broker is not already filing via ACE, you could face potential delays.
