After two years of collaboration with the business community, the USCBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and the C-TPAT Program (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) have finalized the review and update of the minimum security criteria.
It is in April 2019 that the USCBP has published information leaflets for every business such as:
- U.S Custom Brokers;
- US Importers and Exporters;
- Foreign Manufacturers, and
- Hauliers.
All minimum security criteria are detailed and explained therein. Risk, business partners, cybersecurity, computer, international traffic instruments and insect contamination are defined.
For every security criterion, you will find a detailed explanation of the members’ expectations of the program and the required actions for their implementation. It is also important to distinguish the program’s MUST’s from the SHOULD’s. The MUST’s must be implemented to answer the program’s requirements while the SHOULD’s are recommended, but are not mandatory. They are good business practices!
It should be noted that the C-TPAT portal will be updated from January 1st to June 1st 2020. During that period, the USCBP will not accept new applications and the business members will not be able to update their security profile. In short, the portal will not be available.
You will therefore have until June 1st to become familiar with the new security criteria program and to carry out their implementation. Have a question? Do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to help you out.
