The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared its intention to initiate the processing of changes to Ports of Entry (POE) starting from September 9th. After becoming available in March, the POE modification feature encountered delays due to technical challenges. This recent announcement indicates a potential advancement in the agency’s preparedness to proceed with this feature.
According to the FDA’s guidance, customs brokers and filers are expected to adhere to the ACE Cargo Release CATAIR when seeking to alter the Port of Entry. The agency offers the following directives to the trade community:
- Specific Port of Entry Changes: In cases where the Port of Entry requires alteration, it’s important to note that modifications should only concern the Port of Entry itself within the FDA message set. No other data elements within the FDA message set should be modified. The FDA will exclusively process changes related to the Port of Entry while disregarding alterations to other parts of the message set.
- Modification of Accepted Entries: If the FDA has already accepted an entry and subsequent changes to the FDA message set are necessary, it’s recommended to reach out to the local FDA office for assistance. Should the local office be unable to provide the required help, the entry will need to be canceled and then resubmitted.
It’s worth noting that all prior decisions and status messages will continue to remain relevant and applicable to the entry in question, along with its associated FDA lines. This step by the FDA demonstrates its commitment to streamlining and improving the process of modifying Ports of Entry, ultimately benefiting the trade community and regulatory processes alike.
