U.S. Customs and Border Protection will begin implementing more stringent customs reporting requirements for importers next week as it continues to ramp up enforcement measures directed by the Trump administration.
Starting Sept. 18, the agency will revoke a shipper’s ability to import goods into the country should they provide inaccurate customs information in CBP forms, per a Federal Register filing published last month. The agency could also take additional punishment actions, according to the filing, although CBP did not elaborate beyond that.
The requirement applies to any importer of record (IOR), regardless of whether a customs broker provides the information. CBP noted that shippers are responsible for ensuring information remains accurate after initial submission.
CBP will alert any importers in writing if they violate the regulation and provide guidance on how to reestablish IOR standing with the agency, per the filing.
As part of the new measure, CBP is “comprehensively reviewing” shipper information on file to assess the accuracy of information such as phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses.
“Accurate information regarding IORs is essential for ensuring compliance with customs and trade laws of the United States in order to safeguard national security, enforce product safety requirements, and protect the revenue,” the filing says.
The looming measure builds on a slew of initiatives from CBP to enforce customs regulation enhancements directed by President Donald Trump in a June executive order. The missive called for the agency to crack down on foreign IORs and create higher penalty floors for shippers that fail to comply with customs rules.
As part of these new regulations, the order said that IORs must be in “good standing” with CBP within 180 days of the June 3 order. The agency evaluates importer standing based on compliance history, payments made for infractions and other factors. Meanwhile, the agency is also considering the use of traceability technology and collecting export documentation.
The growing list of red tape is making supply chain visibility even more critical for shippers while upping the ante on customs compliance spending, according to experts.
“If your compliance budget was denied last quarter, take this [executive order] to your CFO,” André Cruz, senior manager of trade and customs at KPMG US, said in a June LinkedIn post. “The ROI on compliance just doubled.
Max Garland contributed reporting for this story.
