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What changed at U.S. Customs?
Every message from the CBP Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS), with a plain-English summary and Allied CHB's position. We add new messages every hour.
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- Policy GuidanceCSMS #67513690
CBP said all refunds would move to electronic ACH payments starting February 6, 2026
CBP announced that beginning February 6, 2026, it would issue all refunds electronically through ACH, with limited exceptions, under an interim final rule published January 2, 2026. CBP urged importers and the trade community to review its ACE Portal and ACH refund enrollment resources and complete any needed setup before that date. The message pointed to FAQs, training guides and support call schedules for enrollment.
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This message is more than 30 days old. It told importers to enroll for ACH refunds in the ACE Portal ahead of February 6, 2026, but later CSMS messages may have changed enrollment details or exceptions since then. If you receive CBP refunds, including any IEEPA duty refunds, ask us to confirm your current ACH enrollment status and whether any action is still outstanding.
CBP announced mandatory electronic refunds via ACH starting February 2026
CBP announced that beginning February 6, 2026, it would issue all CBP refunds electronically through ACH, with limited exceptions, under an interim final rule. CBP also improved the ACH refund sign up process in ACE and added a feature to add notify parties in the ACE Portal. CBP held a support call on January 28, 2026 to help the trade community prepare for the transition.
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This message is over eight months old. Later CSMS messages may have changed or clarified how CBP issues refunds, so clients should ask us about the current status of any refunds tied to their entries. At the time, the notice meant importers needed to enroll for ACH to receive CBP refunds after February 5, 2026.
- Policy GuidanceCSMS #67396599
DEA Added New ACE Data Requirement for Tableting and Encapsulating Machines
CBP announced that DEA updated its ACE Partner Government Agency (PGA) Implementation Guide to require machine data for tableting and encapsulating machines. The guide set a rollout schedule: certification environment on January 20, 2026, production deployment with a WARNING-level DE3 flag on March 21, 2026, and REJECT-level enforcement of that flag on May 2, 2026. This affected importers of these machines and the brokers who file their entries.
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This message set a phased requirement for DEA data on tableting and encapsulating machine imports, ending in REJECT-level enforcement by May 2, 2026 under the schedule CBP published. Clients who import these machines should ask us to confirm their entries include the required DEA PGA Message Set data (the DE3 flag) so filings are not rejected. Because this message is more than eight months old, later CSMS messages may have updated the related reference documents, so we recommend clients confirm current requirements with us before shipping.
CBP Reminded Trade of Mandatory Electronic Refunds Starting Feb 6, 2026
CBP announced that beginning February 6, 2026, it would issue all refunds electronically via ACH, with limited exceptions, under an interim final rule published January 2, 2026. CBP said it improved the ACH refund sign-up process in the ACE Portal and added a feature for importers to add notify parties. CBP held a support call on January 14, 2026 to help importers and other parties prepare for the transition.
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This message described a support call and enrollment steps for a transition that took effect on February 6, 2026 and is now in the past. Electronic ACH refunds are now the standard method CBP uses, subject to the exceptions CBP listed, so clients who receive CBP refunds should confirm they are enrolled in ACH refund payment through ACE. If a client has not set up ACH refunds or has questions about a specific refund, they should ask us to review their account status.
CBP added a notify parties feature for importers in the ACE Portal
CBP announced that as of January 2, 2026 it enhanced the ACE Portal so importers who are Trade Account Owners could add notify parties (CBP Form 4811 special address notification) under the Notify Parties tab. CBP held user readiness calls in January and February 2026 to help trade users with this and other ACE enhancements related to electronic refunds. The message affected importers who manage their own ACE Portal accounts.
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This feature let importers manage their own ACE Portal notify party settings and did not change how we file entries for clients. Clients who are ACE Portal Trade Account Owners could use this tool on their own if they wanted to add notify parties. Clients do not need to act now, and the informational calls CBP held in January and February 2026 have already passed. If a client has questions about their ACE Portal account or notify parties, they should ask us to review their setup.
- Policy GuidanceCSMS #67298447
CBP held webinars in January on reporting suspected trade violations
CBP announced a quarterly webinar series for fiscal year 2026 on how to report suspected trade violations and file EAPA allegations. The first webinars were held on January 13 and 15, 2026, and required free registration in advance. The webinars covered use of the Trade Violations Reporting tool and the Enforce and Protect Act allegation process.
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This notice concerned free CBP webinars on reporting trade violations and filing EAPA allegations, not entry filing requirements. The registration deadline and webinar dates have passed, so no action is needed now. Clients do not need to act on this message.
- Policy GuidanceCSMS #67043375
CBP reminded filers about FTZ e214 admission data checks starting Dec 11, 2025
CBP reminded filers that validations for FIRMS Code, Zone ID, and Port of Entry data in Foreign Trade Zone Admission (e214) transactions would move from the Certification environment into Production on December 11, 2025. CBP said these were existing requirements listed in the ACE FTZ CATAIR. FTZ operators could check their Zone ID, FIRMS Code, and Port Code details through the ACE Secure Accounts Portal.
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Allied does not operate or manage foreign trade zones, so this reminder did not change how we file entries for clients. The enforcement date has passed, and clients who operate an FTZ site should have confirmed their Zone ID, FIRMS Code, and Port Code data through their ACE Portal account. Clients with questions about how this affected their own admissions should ask Allied to review the entries involved.
The summaries and positions are general information, not legal advice. Always check the official CBP message, which each page links to.
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