CBP Adopts Rule to Ease Broker Recordkeeping Requirements

U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a final rule to permit licensed customs brokers to store records relating to their customs transactions at any location within the U.S. under certain conditions, and to remove the requirement that certain brokers retain entry records in their original format for the 120-day period after release of imported merchandise. The rule ran in the Federal Register June 8.

CBP made one change to rule from the proposal, which was published on March 23, 2010. The change clarifies that “the reasonable time period” within which a designated recordkeeping contact must make all records available to CBP is “30 calendar days, or such longer time as specified by CBP,” to maintain uniform standards at the ports, said the notice. CBP also said it would allow for the submission of requested entry-related documentation in an electronic format through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and related technology.