CUSTOMS PUTS EMPHASIS ON ULTIMATE CONSIGNEE ID NUMBERS

U.S. TO REVIEW IMPACT OF “OFFSETS” ON DEFENSE, COMMERCIAL TRADE    U.S. Customs’ Trade Programs has issued a draft directive calling for importers and their customs brokers to report ultimate consignee identification numbers on all formal and informal entries at the time of entry and release.
   “Customs’ ability to correctly identify all parties involved with entered merchandise is essential in order to maintain inspectional and investigative effectiveness,” the agency said. “Consequently, steps are being taken to uniformly enforce its presentation by the trade.”
   The ultimate consignee is described by Customs as the “party in the United States to whom the overseas shipper sold or consigned the imported merchandise.” An appropriate identification number would be an Internal Revenue Service employer identification number, a Social Security number, or a Customs-assigned number for non-U.S. entities. Other information listed with the number are the ultimate consignee’s name and street address.
   “If this is unknown at the time of entry or release, the appropriate identification number, name, and street address of the U.S. premises to which the merchandise is to be delivered must be provided in its place,” the agency said.
   Customs said that unless a customs brokers owns the imported merchandise, it may not be listed as the ultimate consignee. All individual shipments within a consolidation must also include ultimate consignee identification numbers. “Nominal consignees,” such as ocean carriers, express carriers, freight forwarders and consolidators, cannot be listed as ultimate consignees unless they own the merchandise, or there’s no known U.S. buyer and the documentation shows their premises as the location to deliver the merchandise.
   Without the proper ultimate consignee number, Customs said it would return the entry documents to the importer or its broker for correction. “Directors, Field Operations and Port Directors will ensure all ports under their jurisdictions are in compliance with this directive,” Customs said.
   Customs’ Trade Programs will take comments on the draft directive from the industry through Dec. 15. A copy of the directive is available on Custom’s Web site at https://www.customs.treas.gov/impoexpo/consignee.htm. The industry may fax its comments to Jennifer Engelbach at (202) 927-1096.