Census Exempts Shipments to and From Puerto Rico From Advance AES Filing Requirements
The Census Bureau recently issued an important clarification relating to the filing of Electronic Export Information (EEI) through the Automated Export System (AES) for shipments between the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
FTR Letter No. 1, a copy of which can be found here (pdf), states that because Puerto Rico is within the U.S. Customs Territory, shipments from the U.S. to Puerto Rico and from Puerto Rico to the U.S. are exempt from the advance filing deadlines set forth in the new Foreign Trade Regulations that were issued by Census on June 2, 2008.
While the proof of EEI filing citation, post departure filing citation or exemption must be presented to the carrier prior to the departure of goods from the U.S. to Puerto Rico and from Puerto Rico to the U.S., the EEI filing does not have to be made in advance as required by the new advance filing requirements (e.g., 24 hours by vessel or 2 hours by air).
As a reminder, Census will begin enforcing the new mandatory and advance AES filing rule on September 30, 2008.
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
