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U.S.
Customs 24-Hour Rule
The 24-hour
rule requires sea carriers and NVOCCs(Non-Vessel Operating Common
Carriers) to provide U.S. Customs with detailed descriptions of
the contents of sea containers bound for the United States 24 hours
before a container is loaded on board a vessel.
The rule allows U.S. Customs officers to analyze the container content
information and identify potential terrorist threats before the
U.S.-bound container is loaded at the foreign seaport, not after
it arrives in a U.S. port.
This new
24-hour rule requiring advance cargo manifests from sea carriers
went into effect December 02, 2002. Under the new rule, Customs
have granted sea carriers a 60-day grace period to fully implement
the program.
Enforcement
efforts focused on significant violations of the cargo description
requirements of the 24-hour rule. For example, the use of such vague
cargo descriptions as "Freight-All-Kinds," "Said-To-Contain," or
"General Merchandise," are no longer acceptable.
Customs
has posted a "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) section on its
Web site (http://www.customs.gov/)
to assist carriers, NVOCCs, and others in understanding the expectations
of the U.S Customs Service concerning the 24-hour rule.
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