Issue 462, January 28, 2005

Customs and Border Protection is currently advising the importing community that they are considering a process in which they will no longer require the presentation of commercial invoices for truck shipments arriving at the US/Canadian border under the Pre-Arrival Processing System (PAPS). This new process is intended to streamline release at the border crossings.

There are varying effective dates by port and this program has already been tentatively initiated at some ports of entry. Customs is only requiring the presentation of an inward cargo manifest CF-7533 with a properly affixed PAPS Bar Code assigned to each shipment on the manifest. The PAPS Bar Code identifies the carrier, broker (filer) and provides a unique shipment identification number for the each shipment. Additionally, Customs has indicated that it is their intention to discontinue the practice of stamping the customs documents with the arrival / release date.

DHL Danzas strongly encourages shippers to continue to have the commercial invoices available with the carrier at time of arrival at the border to facilitate the release process in the event that there are any discrepancies and/or missing documentation from the original transmission. It is important to note that Customs will very likely “NOT” collect these documents from the carriers.

There are no current changes to shipments which are being cleared under the line release BRASS program which will still require the presentation of an inward cargo manifest as well as a commercial invoice with associated C4 Bar Code attached. Additionally, Customs is requiring all BRASS drivers to carry a FAST Drivers Card to enable them to be processed at the primary lane under the BRASS program.

There are still many aspects of this new procedure yet to be determined and Customs is still refining the program. We anticipate additional communication on this topic to be forthcoming.

Please do not hesitate to contact your DHL Danzas representative for additional information.

Our contributing writer, Karl Krueger, is the Technical Advisor for DHL Danzas Air & Ocean in Port Huron, Michigan. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Mr. Krueger at Karl.Krueger@dhl.com or 810-987-0567.

Please note that due to the complex nature of the subject matter, DHL Danzas Air & Ocean cannot be responsible for actions taken by the reader in reliance on the information contained herein without prior consultation with DHL Danzas Air & Ocean.