Early Signs Indicate Smooth FDA Transition to ACE
The move to ACE for the vast majority of Food and Drug Administration entries and entry summaries went without major complications, the FDA and customs brokers said. "We are very pleased that a lot of brokers have fully embraced the transition to ACE" and "FDA’s times for processing entries have actually decreased in ACE," Doug Stearn, director of the FDA’s Office of Enforcement and Import Operations, said in an email. Electronic filing of FDA entries and entry summaries under entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52 was required in ACE as of June 15, though the agencies said they would allow for some leeway for filers using the old system (see 1606100012). Those seven entry types account for some 90 percent of entries that FDA sees (see 1605270002). CBP didn't comment.
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Any filers who do have problems should contact the FDA ACE Support Center, Stearn said. "I have not heard any issues from anyone," said Geoff Powell, president of C.H. Powell and the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, by email mid-morning on June 15. "I have not heard of any functionality issues." That was still true as of June 16 as well, he said. On June 14, CBP and FDA were working to contact "the remaining 20% that have not gotten on to ACE Cargo Release for FDA shipments," officials reported during a Border Interagency Executive Council meeting, Powell said. "As far as I know, no cargo has been held," Amy Magnus, director of customs affairs and compliance at A.N. Deringer, said in a June 16 email. Still, it's important to know where things stand statistically for ACE usage rates before claiming success, Magnus said.