On July 23, 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a Federal Register Notice (FRN) the beginning of a voluntary test to collect advance data related to shipments eligible for release under Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Section 321 “provides for an administrative exemption from duty and taxes for shipments of merchandise…imported by one person on one day having an aggregate fair retail value of not more than $800.” According to CBP, they will use the advance information to “…improve CBP's ability to effectively and efficiently identify and target high-risk shipments, including for narcotics, counter-proliferation, and health and safety risks.”

Some of the data elements that are proposed include:

• CBP-assigned originator code of the participant;
• Shipment tracking number, house bill number, or master bill number;
• Participant filer type - such as carrier or online marketplace;
• Mode of transportation – such as air, truck, or rail.

Prospective pilot participants should submit an application to commercesmallbusinessbranch@cbp.dhs.gov and include “Application for Section 321 Data Pilot” in the subject line of the email. Information on what to include in an application can be found in the FRN.

The pilot will begin on August 22, 2019 and will run for approximately one year.

The FRN may be found here:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/23/2019-15625/section-321-data-pilot