New Certificate Query for eCert 2.0

Trade Update • Sept. 6, 2022

new chapter of the Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR), called the “Certificate Query”, which supports the Electronic Certification System (eCert) 2.0 functionality, is scheduled to deploy to the Production (PROD) environment on September 24.

The Electronic Certification System (eCERT) is a system that uses electronic data transmissions of information associated with a required export document, such as a license or certificate. It is used to ensure proper restraint levels are charged without being exceeded, while facilitating the administration of quotas.

The Certificate Query provides to ACE ABI filers the capability to query Certificates/Licenses or Visas that have been filed in eCERT to obtain current status, quantity information, and entry summary usage details. The specifications contained in this chapter are for query and response records that will be processed in ACE and will return data from the eCERT system.

When filing an entry summary with CBP, specific data elements are transmitted to CBP by the importer of record (or an authorized customs broker). These data elements must match eCERT data from the foreign country before an importer can claim applicable in-quota tariff rate of duty or the preferential duty rate under a tariff preference level (TPL).

Currently, Australia, Uruguay, New Zealand, and Argentina are approved for the use of eCERT for transmitting export certificates for certain beef entries subject to the tariff-rate quota. Additionally, Mexico is approved for the use of eCERT for transmitting certificates of eligibility for certain textile and apparel goods that are eligible for preferential treatment under a TPL.

More details can be found here.

How to Participate in eCert 2.0

To participate in eCERT 2.0, importers must provide the participating country with their Importer of Record (IOR) number in advance of filing an entry, and, in turn, the participating country will submit the IOR number as part of the eCERT transmission to CBP. The participating country will submit the IOR number as an additional data element of information within the single transmission message to eCERT 2.0.

CBP recommends that importers share the IOR numbers with their exporters in advance of September 25, 2022, to allow for participating countries to test the updated system with actual IOR numbers and avoid rejection of the transmission due to missing IOR numbers once eCERT 2.0 is deployed.