Monday Morning eBriefing

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., has provided our customs broker members with pertinent details regarding the implementation of recent U.S. reciprocal trade deals reached with Bangladesh and Taiwan as it pertains to tariff adjustments, as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance related the recently announced duty modifications for certain India products. The Committee will continue to send our members additional Trump Administration tariff updates and subsequent CBP guidance, as soon as received.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has updated the Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirements (AESTIR) Appendix O to include a new Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) license exemption.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has provided the trade with replacement refund instructions for returned checks and rejected ACH refunds. Starting Feb. 6, CBP began issuing all refunds electronically, except where law permits checks.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries reached out to customs brokers last week to discuss the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requirements. Starting Jan. 1, the MMPA took effect, requiring a Certification of Admissibility (COA) for certain seafood products from specified countries found to have non-compliant fisheries.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 17 will deploy the ACE Duty Calculation for up to 32 HTS Codes (CBP-127) enhancement to ACE in response to requests from the trade.

NCBFAA through its Transportation Committee and Counsel of Venable LLP on Feb. 11 submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in response to a Request for Information on its Transportation Research and Development (RD&T) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 10 published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to amend its regulations to require advance submission of Electronic Export Manifest (EEM) information for cargo exported via vessel from the U.S. The proposed rule would require the mandatory submission of the following eight data elements as early as practicable, but no later than 24 hours prior to the loading of cargo on the outbound conveyance.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a Feb. 13 Federal Register notice has proposed regulations to require that most bonds be transmitted to the agency electronically via a specialized system by the surety securing the bond, or by the principal on a bond secured by cash in lieu of surety. CBP said the proposed changes will “further centralize and streamline CBP’s bond program.”

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 12 announced an enhancement to the ACE certification environment (CERT) to enable filers to submit a Carnet number and expiration date via an ACE truck import manifest filing.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Area Port of Seattle announced opening of the Savannah Logistics Centralized Examination Station (CES). Effective Feb. 9, CBP personnel will accept cargo for examination at this location.

NCBFAA is proud to announce the recipients of its two $5,000 scholarships for 2026. Generously sponsored by Roanoke Insurance Group and Alba Wheels Up International, these scholarships support Regular Members and their children in pursuing education and professional development in Customs Brokerage, Freight Forwarding, and related fields within the international trade community. In an industry defined by regulatory complexity, technological advancement, and global uncertainty, continued education remains essential to professional excellence and compliance. This year's winners will be recognized during the NCBFAA Annual Conference special luncheon on Monday, April 13, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Dangerous Goods of America, Inc., Imported Food Safety Solutions, National Brokerage LLC, and Quick Cargo Limited which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can! In addition, NCBFAA would like to highlight the new corporate name for Regular Member Unlimited Solutions Group, Inc., Laredo, Texas

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 6 began issuing all refunds electronically via Automated Clearing House (ACH) (subject to limited exceptions), as announced in the Electronic Refunds Interim Final Rule published Jan. 2 Federal Register. The agency continues to update its FAQs related to the new electronic refunds process.

A summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.

The Custom and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Trade invites the trade to participate in its CSMS User Satisfaction Survey. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and the agency will leave the survey open until Feb. 27.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., will continue to provide our customs broker members with pertinent details regarding the implementation of the Feb. 5 U.S.-Argentina Trade Deal as it pertains to tariff adjustments, as well as the Feb. 6 White House announcement to lower the reciprocal tariff for India back to 18%. Meanwhile, the Committee will send our members additional Trump Administration tariff updates and subsequent Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance, as soon as received.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 6 transitioned to electronic refunds in accordance with Executive Order 14247. To prepare for the transition, CBP has updated the CBP Form 4811, Special Address Notification (12/25), which is used to authorize notify parties.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today, Feb. 6, provided the trade with detailed guidance related the 2026 reauthorization of the duty-free treatment through Dec. 31, 2026, for imports from eligible AGOA beneficiary countries and select imports from Haiti under the Haiti/HOPE and Haiti/HELP programs, for imports entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption. The Act extends special rules for Haiti under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. The reauthorization via H.R. 7148 was signed into law by President Trump on Feb. 3.

Customs and Border Protection reminded the trade that starting Feb. 6 it will issue all refunds electronically via Automated Clearing House (ACH) (subject to limited exceptions), as announced in the Electronic Refunds Interim Final Rule published January 2, 2026, in the Federal Register.