CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (SEPTEMBER 14, 2015) – US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has revised its timeline for shippers, customs brokers and freight forwarders to begin use of its Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system, through which the trade community will report imports and exports and the US government will determine admissibility.

November 1, 2015, will now begin a transition period for electronic entry and entry summary filings in ACE, said Brenda Gibson, CBP’s assistant area port director in Charleston, speaking at the South Carolina International Trade Conference here.

Gibson said that ACE, which has been in development for more than 20 years, was placed on the fast track through an executive order issued by President Barack Obama on February 19, 2014. “The automated system is going to control and process all imports and exports in the US. What is unique about the system is that it is no longer just going to be a Customs system. It’s going to be used by all 50 government agencies that [regulate] trade in the United States. That’s a huge difference, and a benefit to all of you in this room,” she said.

Previously, November 1, 2015, was a “drop-dead” date for implementation of the system, Gibson said. February 28, 2016, is the new mandatory deadline for all electronic entries and entry summaries to be filed in ACE, and October 1, 2016, is the new mandatory deadline for all remaining electronic portions of ACE, she said.

Geoff Powell, president of CH Powell Company, a Boston-based international logistics provider, freight forwarder and customs broker and president of the Washington-based National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, urged conference attendees to begin using ACE as soon as possible. “Brokers and forwarders [should not] wait until February 28. There are a lot of benefits to be gained from doing it now [and getting] people used to it, making the transition that much easier,” he said.