Shipping Solutions Newsletter

Grace Period for the SED Ends January 17, 2004

According to officials with the U.S. Census Bureau, the grace period for switching from the old version of the Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) to the new version of the form ends on January 17, 2004.

After that date, all exporters who are not required to file the SED information electronically through the Automated Export System (AES) must begin using the new SED introduced October 18, 2003. Census officials said they will reject all previous versions of the SED at that point and will advise exporters of their failure to submit an SED.

Companies that ship products on the Commerce Department’s Commerce Control List (CCL) or the State Department’s U.S. Munitions List (USML) were required to begin filing their SED information electronically through the Automated Export System (AES) on October 18, 2003.

The new SED includes a field for the Freight Forwarder's EIN or Social Security Number and a revised confidentiality statement that gives the Commerce Secretary the right to release what was previously confidential information if protecting the information is "contrary to the national interest." In addition, the shipping weight is now required on the SED for all modes of transportation, while previously it was only required for vessel and air shipments.

The paper SED is scheduled to be eliminated for all U.S. exporters by April 24, 2004, when it will be replaced by AES. Not everyone is confident that all systems will be in place by that date, however, in which case the transition will occur later in the year. All exporters would be well advised to begin planning for the transition to AES, since it will definitely occur at some point.

Whenever the paper SED is completely replaced by AES, the exemptions for value and non-licensed exports to Canada will remain in place.

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By Susan Senger email | bio

When exporting to Canada, Canadian Customs requires specific information. This article will address what information is required to smooth the Canadian Customs Process.

The Canada Customs Invoice (C.C.I.) is the official document used by Canadian customs to enter imports into Canada. Canadian customs does not require that importers supply the C.C.I. provided that the commercial invoice includes the required information.

The numbers listed below correspond to the numbers on the C.C.I. form. If you choose to review the Canada Customs Invoice, the document can be found online:

The seller’s (vendor) full legal name, address and country.
Date on which the goods began their continuous journey to Canada.
Purchaser’s order number or vendor’s commercial invoice number. Although this information is not mandatory, it may be helpful.
Full name and address of the consignee (the person or company in Canada to whom the goods are being shipped).
If you have sold the goods to a party that is different from the consignee, you must also provide the complete name and address of that person or company in Canada.
If the goods have been transshipped, provide the country through which the goods were shipped in transit to Canada.
List the country of origin for all items shipped.
Provide the complete shipment routing details including carrier, mode of transport, and place from which the goods began their continuous journey to Canada.
Terms of sale (for example sale-net 30 days).
Indicate the currency in which the vendor’s demand for payment is made.
Number and type of packages (e.g. cartons or crates).
Provide a detailed description of each item including the 10-digit Harmonized System Number for each item. The HTS number must indicate the Canadian number. This number is found here.
Provide the quantity of each item, with the appropriate unit of measure (numbers, weights, volume, etc.).
Indicate the unit price of each item using the currency of settlement.
Indicate the total price for each item in the currency of settlement for the number of items.
Provide the total net and gross weight of the goods.
Indicate the total value of the invoice.
If using the C.C.I. and attaching a commercial invoice, mark this box.
If the exporter (vendor) is different than what was indicated in field 1, indicate the full legal name, address and country of the exporter.
The originator of the invoice must indicate their name, address, and phone number. This should be the responsible individual in the vendor’s organization that has knowledge of the transaction.
If a ruling with Revenue Canada was issued, indicate the number and date.
Applicable to situation: Check this box if the total price listed on the invoice includes transportation, expenses and insurance. Complete fields 23 through 25 complete only if they apply to a particular shipment:
If total price includes transportation, expenses and insurance, indicate that amount.
Same as 23.
Check if applicable: Royalty payments.

The Canadian customs entry process can be expedited if the commercial invoice includes all of the required information listed above or the exporter prepares the Canada Customs Invoice along with a commercial invoice.

Next month’s article will address the Canadian Customs Entry Process. If you have any questions or issues regarding this process, I encourage you to email me at ssenger@comcast.net. I will address those items as space allows.

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