In a Federal Register notice to be published on June 16, 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a general notice announcing the beginning of the Trusted Trader Pilot testing phase. The program is aimed to increase security and efficiency by combining the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) initiative and the Importer Self-Assessment (ISA) compliance program.
According to the notice, the Trusted Trader Program is “a new program that will streamline the process through which importers can establish to CBP that they strive to secure their supply chains and strengthen their internal controls for compliance with the existing laws and regulations administered or enforced by CBP.”
The goals of the program include the following:
- Increase the efficiencies in the existing trade programs
- Strengthen security
- Identify low-risk trade entities
- Increase overall efficiency of trade
- Achieve integrated U.S. government collaborations
- Enhance information sharing between government agencies
- Lower the administrative cost of participants by streamlining the application and validation process
Benefits for participants will include the following:
- Reduced FDA targeting/examination risk score
- Penalty offsets upon request
- Participants who also participate in the Reconciliation Prototype will be allowed to flag and unflag entries for reconciliation retroactively after the entry summary is filed
- CBP will reduce the number of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) on-site inspections
- Drawback claimants will be exempt from on-site visits from Drawback Specialists
- Full desk reviews will be limited to no more than one (1) per year for drawback claimants
- CBP will process Post-Entry Amendments (PEA) on unliquidated entries within a ninety (90)-day timeframe
- In the post-release environment, test participants may have the ability to choose an exam location
Applications can be submitted through July 16, 2014.
The Federal Register notice can be accessed here
