Author: Keeton

ABI Benefits for the Trade and Participants

ABI Benefits for the Trade

  • Expedited cargo release.
  • Electronic transmission, validation, confirmation, and correction for entry summaries.
  • Payment options such as daily statement and electronic payment through the Automated Clearinghouse (ACH).
  • Validated duties, taxes, and fees.
  • Interactive communication with Customs.
  • Courtesy notices of liquidation, extension, and suspension.
  • Consolidated reports under the National Importer Liquidation Program.
  • Error statistics available monthly.
  • Timely tariff updates.
  • Query capabilities.
  • Uniform entry summary processing.

ABI Participants Include

  • brokers
  • importers
  • carriers
  • port authorities
  • service centers
  • law firms
  • surety companies

Since its inception in 1984, ABI has seen remarkable growth. During fiscal year 1999 the number of participants reached 2,782; entries filed via ABI exceeded 98 percent; and the total number of ABI entries was 21.1 million.

Format for Binding Ruling Numbers

The Office of Regulations and Rulings has adopted a new system for the internal tracking of rulings issued by the National Commodity Specialist Division (NCS) and by Headquarters, Office of Regulations and Rulings, effective November 2006. The system is called Regulations and Rulings Tracking System (RRTS). It has replaced the Legal Case Inventory System. RRTS functions by creating a unique number for each ruling that is issued. It is a unified system, which issues case numbers consecutively, regardless of whether the case is issued by NCS or HQ. As a result, since the numerical portion of the ruling number will no longer be a basis to distinguish NCS rulings from HQ rulings, it was decided to place an Alpha code in front of the six digit numerical code for the rulings. For rulings issued by the NCS division, the alpha code is N. For HQ rulings, the alpha code is H.

It has come to our attention that the field in ABI for setting forth the ruling number is too small to accommodate all seven digits of the ruling number. Accordingly, for the present, the ABI filer should drop the alpha code and enter only the numerical portion of the ruling number. CBP HQ will pursue appropriate system changes to allow the full ruling number to be entered.