CBP Posts ACE User Guide on In-Bond Authorization for Rail & Sea Carriers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) user guide on In-Bond Authorization for rail and sea carriers. With the deployment of ACE e-Manifest: Rail and Sea (M1), rail and sea carriers will have the ability to create a list of authorized Type 2 In-Bond users in their ACE Secure Data Portal Accounts. This functionality will allow the carrier to control who can obligate their Type 2 custodial bonds (CBP Form 301). Although carriers are not required to utilize this functionality, carriers who choose to control access to their bonds have the ability to indicate the specific ports and lengths of time a carrier or broker is authorized to obligate their bond.

Anyone can use carrier's bond if new functionality not used. If a rail or sea carrier elects not to utilize the In-Bond Authorization functionality, ACE will not restrict the use of their bond by other parties, i.e. any party will be allowed to use the carrier's bond.

Carriers can limit bond usage to their own company. If a carrier wants to limit bond usage to their own company they will need to add themselves as an “Authorized Partner.” This action will exclude all other parties from utilizing the carrier’s bond.

ACE Portal will list those who can have access. Rail and sea carriers with an activity Type 2 bond will be able to identify carriers by Standard Carrier Alphanumeric Codes (SCAC) and In-Bond filers by filer codes in their ACE Portal Account, for the purpose of limiting use of their bond to these entities. Once an entity is entered into the “In-Bond Authorization File”, no other carriers, brokers, or QP filers, other than the ones identified, will be able to initiate an In-Bond request via manifest declarations, In-Bond submissions or subsequent In-Bond requests. ACE will not notify your business partner that their SCAC or filer code has been entered in your In-Bond authorization file.

(Air AMS does not have this functionality. The in-bond authorization file is only applicable for in-bonds submitted via EDI to the ACE rail and sea manifest functionality. Air AMS manifest will not utilize the in-bond authorization functionality at this time.

When both AMS & ACE operating, AMS will not use in-bond functionality. Also, during the time period when ACE rail and sea manifests and AMS rail and sea manifests will be operating simultaneously, in-bonds created via AMS legacy rail and sea manifest will not utilize the ACE in-bond authorization functionality. QP filers submitting in-bonds into the legacy AMS application during this time frame will not utilize the ACE in-bond authorization functionality.)