Announced on a conference call on June 6, Customs & Border Protection will once again begin voiding inactive Importer of Record (IOR) numbers from the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) System. The move has caused much concern for importers and Customs brokers alike, since the agency voided many active import IOR’s in their first attempt to clean the system last year.
Currently, there are 20,000 IOR numbers in inactive status waiting to be removed.
CBP has made FAQs available on their website:
WHY DOES CBP VOID IMPORTER RECORDS?
Importer records may be voided for the following reasons:
- Duplicate records are on file with CBP;
- The importer’s Social Security number or Employer Identification number cannot be verified with the appropriate government agency (Social Security Administration or Internal Revenue Service respectively);
- The importer, their authorized agent (with a valid Power-of-Attorney), or local CBP Officer has requested that the record be voided;
- CBP has received returned (undeliverable) mail when attempting to contact the importer via the US Postal Service;
- Failure to respond to CBP requests sent to the name and address listed on the importer record.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE REGULATIONS AND POLICIES APPLICABLE TO IMPORTER RECORDS?
19 CFR 24.5, CBP Directive 5610-002A, and the instructions located on the backside of the CBP 5106 Form.
HOW DO I REACTIVATE AN IMPORTER RECORD THAT HAS BEEN VOIDED BY CBP?
Email a completed CBP 5106 along with a valid importer record proof and Power-of-Attorney that is no more than one year old (if 5106 is signed by an Attorney-in-Fact) to [email protected]. The subject line should state “Void IR#”.
**NOTE: CBP Form 5106 must be signed by an officer of the company (President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer, CEO, COO, etc.) or a broker with power-of-attorney (POA).**
Relative to the type of importer record number, the following documents are acceptable proof:
Social Security Number – A copy of the importer’s Social Security card (front & back). Or submit a copy of the front page of the importer’s most recent tax return.
Employee Identification Number (EIN) – Pre-printed documentation received from the U.S. Department of Treasury, i.e. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), within the last 12 months that reflects the proper EIN and company name. Examples of IRS tax documentation include the following: 147C, 1040, 2363, 941/941V, SS-4, 1065, 8109/8109C, 7004, 355-ES, 1096, 1120/1120S, etc. You can call 1-800-829-0115 in order to obtain EIN verification (form 147C) if necessary. THE ABOVE DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED FROM THE IRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY.
Note: W-9 applications, SS-4applications, State documents, and any documentation submitted to the IRS are unacceptable.
U.S. CBP Assigned Number – There is currently no documentation provided by CBP when issuing a CBP-assigned number. Only a completed CBP 5106 form and POA if signing on behalf of an importer, are required.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO PROCESS MY REQUEST TO REINSTATE A VOIDED IMPORTER RECORD?
Please allow 5 business days to process an application to reinstate a voided importer record.
WILL CBP CONTACT ME ONCE MY ACCOUNT IS REACTIVATED?
No. We do not contact importers or agents once an account is reactivated. If you do not receive correspondence from a CBP representative within 2 business days after submitting your 5106 and supporting documents, please query CBP systems to validate that the account has been reactivated. A CBP representative will contact you if there is an issue regarding the documents you submitted for reactivation. You are responsible for contacting any applicable parties to resume shipping/receiving activities after your account is reactivated.
WHAT IF I HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT MY VOIDED IMPORTER RECORD?
Contact the Surety Bonds & Accounts helpdesk at (317) 614-4880. If you reach the voicemail, a CBP representative will respond within 2 business days.
SHOULD ALL IMPORTER RECORD INQUIRIES BE DIRECTED TO THE ABOVE-LISTED FAX AND PHONE NUMBERS?
No. Any licensed Customs broker with ABI or ACE access can determine the current information on file with CBP for a given importer number.
HOW DO I MAKE A REQUEST TO HAVE OLD, INCORRECT, OR OBSOLETE IMPORTER NUMBERS VOIDED?
Email your request, including a reason for the void request, to [email protected] with the subject line as Void IR#. If you are requesting a void as an Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of an importer, you will also need to provide a current Power-of-Attorney.
If you are attempting to reactivate an inactive importer record, please note that any licensed Customs broker with ABI access may accomplish this by retransmitting the data to CBP.
If you are attempting to change or otherwise update an existing importer record, please contact your local service port, a licensed Custom Broker with ABI access, or submit a completed CBP 5106 form via email to [email protected] with the subject line of Update IR#.
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