The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agency announced a rule, called the Importer Security Filing (ISF) or more commonly called 10+2, which requires cargo information for security purposes to be transmitted to the agency at least 24 hours before goods are loaded on an ocean vessel for shipment to the U.S. This new rule is pursuant to section 203 of the SAFE Port Act, and requires importers to provide 10 data elements to CBP as well as the carrier to provide 2 more data elements.
The ISF rule, published on November 26, 2008, went into effect on January 26, 2009. CBP took a phased-in approach in terms of implementation and enforcement, and during the first 12 months, importers were warned of infractions instead of being fined. Since January 26, 2010, importers are now required to comply and there will be no more warnings. Importers can face fines up to $5,000 for each violation.
So what are the 10+2 elements required on the Importer Security Filing (ISF)? The following are the ten data elements must be transmitted to CBP as part of the ISF:
• Manufacturer’s name and address
• Seller’s name and address
• Consolidator’s name and address
• Container stuffing location (Address at which goods loaded into a container)
• Buyer’s name and address (Last named buyer)
• Ship to name and address (Party physically receiving the goods)
• Importer of record’s number
• Consignee’s number
• Country of origin
• Harmonized tariff schedule number (to the 6th digit)
CBP also wants two additional elements to be provided by the ocean carrier at least 48 hours after departure from the last foreign port (or prior to arrival for voyages less than 48 hours in duration).
• Vessel stow plan
• Container status message
For anyone familiar with or learning about ISF compliance, understanding the 10 main transaction types is key. Below are the 10 transaction types and a brief description of what each means.
- 01 Standard — Covers the vast majority of commercial shipments
- 02 Ship to — Should be used for shipments that have not been sold to a buyer in the US and is typically used for commodities shipments (e.g., coffee beans, cocoa, etc.)
- 03 HHG/PE — Used for all household goods and personal effects shipments, including shipments from military members, other US governmental personnel and their families returning to the US
- 04 Government & Military — Only to be used for actual government or military shipments that are not considered personal effects.
- 05 Diplomatic — To be used for foreign entities entitled to diplomatic immunity but not for US diplomatic personnel returning to the US
- 06 Carnet — Covers all shipments arriving under carnet
- 07 US Goods — Reserved for shipments containing solely US Goods Returned
- 08 FTZ Shipments — Reserved for shipments going into a Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ)
- 09 International Mail — Reserved for USPS mail shipments only
- 10 OCS Shipments — Used for shipments arriving from a US outer continental shelf point or from vessels operationg over a US OCS point (e.g. rigs, derrick barges, seismic vessels)
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