CBP to validate export ITN numbers in ACE starting October 8, 2026
CBP title: Document Image System (DIS) Validation of Internal Transaction Number (ITN) for Electronic Export Information (EEI) Submissions (CBP-255) Deployed to ACE in the Certification Environment and Updated DIS Implementation Guide is Now Available
What did CBP announce?
CBP deployed an enhancement to ACE that validates the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) for Electronic Export Information submitted through the Document Imaging System (DIS), by EDI or email. The enhancement is live in the Certification Environment now and moves to Production on October 8, 2026. Submissions with an invalid or mismatched ITN will be rejected with an error message. CBP also updated the ACE DIS Implementation Guide to reflect these changes.
What is Allied's position?
This notice concerns export filings and the DIS system rather than the import entries we file. We will make sure any ITN data we submit through DIS matches the corresponding AES export transaction exactly once this goes live on October 8, 2026. Clients who submit export documentation through DIS should confirm their ITN entries are accurate and properly formatted before that date. Clients who only import do not need to act.
General information, not legal advice.
What does the CBP message say?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has deployed the following enhancement to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Certification Environment: Document Imaging System (DIS) Validation of Internal Transition Number (ITN) for Electronic Export Information (EEI) Submissions (CBP-255). This enhancement will be deployed in the ACE Production environment on October 8, 2026.
Following this enhancement, ACE will validate the ITN when it is provided via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or submitted via email to DIS, ensuring that only valid and properly formatted ITNs are accepted. When an invalid ITN is submitted, the filer will receive the message “Submitted ITN is invalid or the format is invalid” and the DIS submission will be rejected. To ensure successful processing, please verify that the ITN is accurate and that the format matches exactly what was provided on the corresponding AES export transaction.
In support of this deployment, CBP has updated the ACE DIS Implementation Guide (IG), which can be found in the “Chapters: Current Capabilities” section of the ACE Automated Broker Interface (ABI) CBP and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR) (https://www.cbp.gov/trade/automated/catair) webpage. The updates to the DIS IG related to this deployment are:
- Added a Note for Document Submission Package – ITN Data Element
- Added a Note for General Guidelines for Documents Submitted to DIS via Email, and renumbered the notes in this section
Note, the DIS IG has also been updated to include three (3) Document Label Codes that are for internal government use only. These changes are unrelated to this deployment.
This enhancement will improve CBP’s efficiency when reviewing required EEI, reducing export processing delays and supporting regulatory and operational priorities.
For any questions about ITN-related items and validations, please contact cbpvehicleexports@cbp.dhs.gov (mailto:cbpvehicleexports@cbp.dhs.gov).