ACAS Workflow & Process (CBP Website)
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ACAS Data Elements
ACAS need to be filed for all jobs where
Transport Mode: AIR – Air Freight
Either the destination or discharge must be within the US
Air shipments without a consolidation need to be destined to the US.
If an air consolidation is attached, at least one routing leg must be discharging in the U.S, however it is not necessary for this to be the last discharge.
The data elements for ACAS are:
House Bill Number (Mandatory)
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The Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) Program went into effect on June 12, 2018, requiring the submission of advanced air cargo information on shipments arriving in the United States from a foreign location. As part of the ACAS program, participating carriers and/or other eligible parties should submit a subset of required pre-arrival air cargo data to CBP at the earliest point practicable and prior to loading the cargo onto aircraft destined to or transiting through the United States.
ACAS messages should contain these mandatory data items -
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Air Waybill Number
Total Quantity – based on the smallest external packing unit
. For example, 2 pallets containing 50 pieces each would be considered 100, not 2.Total Weight – total weight of cargo expressed in pounds or kilograms
Cargo Description –
A precise cargo description or the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) number must be provided. Genericgeneric cargo descriptions should be avoided
Shipper Name and Address – individual name or name of business and a valid street address with city/province, country and postal code
(must be a foreign address)Consignee Name and Address – individual name or name of business and a valid street address with city/province, country and postal code
.Air Waybill Number (Mandatory unless 19 CFR 122.48a is filed using the same HAWB.
MAWB can be supplied later
Originator Code (Mandatory)
Originator codes are unique to each filer to allow CBP to know who initiated the filing and to identify the return address to provide status messages. This is a 7 character code to identify the ACAS filer and return address for messaging.
Optional elements ( but recommended)
Data elements listed in 19 CFR 122.48a (mentioned below are the ones which are not covered in Point 1. Referred from the link 2)
Trip/flight number (mandatory)
Carrier/ICAO code (mandatory)
Airport of arrival (mandatory)
Airport of origin (mandatory)
Scheduled date of arrival (mandatory)
Consolidation identifier (Conditional)
Split shipment indicator (Conditional)
Permit to proceed information (Conditional)
Identifier of other party which is to submit additional air waybill information (Conditional)
In-bond information (Conditional)
Local transfer facility (Conditional)
Second notify party (optional)
Details relating to the mandatory ACAS data elements (e.g. Shipper Telephone Number)
Data elements defined in the message formats being used for ACAS data transmissions
Messages from ACAS:
SECURITY FILING ASSESSMENT COMPLETE
DNL (Do not Load) - Cargo must not be loaded
ACS Referral - Need complete Information or screening required
Workflow:
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Reference Links:
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2018-06-12/pdf/2018-12315.pdf
CBP response codes:
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Response from CBP
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Description
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Action Required
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AR - Assessment in Progress
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Pending a result.
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None, wait for next response from CBP.
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SF – Assessment Complete
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Approval given to load this shipment on a flight to/via the U.S.
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No further messaging to CBP required from a shipment.
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6H/7H/8H On Hold
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The risk assessment has highlighted concerns
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Send an acknowledgement message using the Send Message option in the form.
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6H – Do Not Load (DNL) Hold
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Do not proceed with loading the cargo on a flight to/via the U.S
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Once the acknowledgement message has been sent, wait for the next response from CBP.
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7H – Selectee Data Issue Hold
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Do not proceed with loading the cargo on a flight to/via the U.S.
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Once the acknowledgement message has been sent, amend the data and resend the message using the Send Message option in the form.
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8H – Selectee Screening (or Verification) Required Hold
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Do not proceed with loading the cargo on a flight to/via the U.S.
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Once the acknowledgement message has been sent, wait for the next response from CBP. Note: advanced screening is required prior to approval to load being given. Important: should a shipment require enhanced screening, CBP will email or phone the sending forwarder as soon as possible in order to provide an opportunity to segregate or screen the shipment under its National Cargo Screening Program (NCSP), or as an authorized representative of the carrier, as appropriate. Where the freight forwarder is unable to perform the enhanced screening, they should communicate this to the carrier to perform the screening instead.
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6J/7J/8J – Hold Currently in Place
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Do not proceed with loading the cargo on a flight to/via the U.S.
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None, wait for the next response from CBP.
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6I/7I/8I – Hold Removed
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Approval given to load this shipment on a flight to/via the U.S.
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No further messaging to CBP required from shipment.
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Do Not Load
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Approval denied, do not load the cargo on a flight to/via the U.S.
Nova is designed to transmit ACAS messages at house bill level. User can choose to transmit all house bill messages at one click or individually for each house bill. Nova is also designed to automatically transmits ACAS, if all mandatory data elements exists along with the flight details. The messages are transmitted, only if the user has not transmitted the message manually and flight ETD is within 6 hours. Please note that user is expected to manually transmit ACAS message for any flight ETD’s, which are in past date/time.
How to transmit ACAS messages in Production
Function | Steps | What happens after ACAS is submitted? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transmit ACAS messages for all houses attached to a MAWB |
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| 2 | Transmit ACAS messages for a house bill |
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Inbound CBP messages for ACAS
ACAS messages from CBP is received at house level. Given below
Inbound Message | What happens in Nova? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
PSN with Status Code as “SF” for HAWB | HAWB status change to “Complete” | |
PSN with these status codes - 6H, 7H, 8H, 6J, 7J or 8J |
| 7H/7J is due to data error. CBP expects us to fix data and resend ACAS message. |
PSN with these Status Codes - SR, AR, SN, 6I,7I or 8I | HAWB status change to “In Progress” |