CBP Expands ACE Portal Account Testing To Include Protests

CBP will add "Protest Filer Account" testing to its ACE Portal pilot, the agency said in a notice (here). "The owner of an ACE Protest Filer Account will have the ability to create and maintain through the ACE Portal information regarding the name, address, and contact information for the corporate and individual account owner for the Protest Filer Account," CBP said. "Protest filers will use the existing account structure established for other accounts within the ACE Portal." CBP will later test electronic protest submissions through the ACE Protest Module from Protest Filer Accounts, CBP said. "Parties authorized to file a protest include importers or consignees for an entry, or their sureties; persons paying any charge or exaction; persons seeking entry or delivery; persons filing a claim for drawback; exporters or producers of the merchandise subject to a determination of origin under section 202 of the NAFTA Implementation Act, if the exporter or producer completed and signed a NAFTA Certificate of Origin covering the merchandise; or the authorized agent of any of these persons," CBP said. "When a protest is filed by a person acting as an agent for the principal that agent must have a power of attorney that grants authority to the agent to make, sign and file a protest on behalf of the protesting party." CBP recently announced the end to electronic protests through the Automated Commercial System (see 1607270015). Electronic filing will require use of ACE starting Aug. 27, CBP said last month (see 1607070032).

(Federal Register 08/08/16)