Importers must make timely filing of documents to maintain ISF compliance.
The importer security filing (ISF) regulations address national and international security. Importers must electronically file documents based on 10 elements and ocean carriers must file documents based on two elements before shipping cargo to the U.S. The regulations are sometimes referred to as 10 + 2.
Importer Requirements
Some objections have been raised by importers. The ISF compliance must be met before the cargo can be shipped even if the importer has met requirements under other programs. ISF compliance with all 10 elements must be met for import into the U.S. Compliance must be met for five of the 10 elements for import to U.S. free trade zones. Failure to comply can result in fines up to $5,000 (as of 2010).
Importer Elements
Four elements must be filed by the importer before loading the cargo. These are seller, buyer, importer of record and consignee number. Four elements must be reported as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours prior to the ship's arrival. These are supplier/manufacturer, the party being shipped to, harmonized tariff schedule (HTUS) and the country of origin. The container stuffing locations and consolidator/stuffer must be supplied no later than 24 hours before the ship's arrival.
Ocean Carriers
The ocean carrier must supply two sets of data elements. These are the vessel stow plans and container status messages.
