The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), in a ruling published last November 25, 2008, announced that the new “Importer Security Filing” program (better known as the “10+2 Rule”), should be entered into force on January 26, 2009.
The entry into force of such regulation has now been confirmed. Accordingly, starting from that date, for all goods shipped to the United States via vessel (even just transiting the US territory), American customs will require the transmission, at least 24 hours before the goods are loaded on board of the vessel and in addition to the electronic cargo manifest, of a new pre-arrival information containing 12 basic data elements. The responsibility for transmitting these data will be on the importers (or their customs agents) for 10 data elements, and on the carriers for 2 of them. For further details read: "The new American rule of "10+2", Il Doganalista, n. 10 (July/August 2008).