IMM Revision: U.S. Census Bureau Electronic Export Information

The U.S. Postal Service® is revising Mailing Stan­dards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) 520 to reflect new requirements for all international shipments for which a Shipper’s Export Dec­laration (SED) was previously required.

Beginning September 30, 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau required mandatory filing of export information through the Automated Export System (AES) or through AESDirect for all international shipments for which an SED was previously required. This regulation mandates that Electronic Export Information (EEI) be filed when any type of goods (per Schedule B Export Codes at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b) is valued at more than $2,500 or requires an export license under U.S. law.

Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)

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5 Nonpostal Export Regulations

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[Revise subchapter 520 in its entirety to read as follows:]

520 Foreign Trade Regulations — U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Bureau of the Census 521 Description

As of September 30, 2008, Shipper’s Export Declarations are no longer accepted. Electronic filing of export information is required through the Automated Export Sys­tem (AES) or through AESDirect.

522 Mandatory Filing

Electronic filing of export information is required when either of the following applies:

a. A type of goods (per Schedule B Export Codes at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b) is val­ued at more than $2,500.

b. An item requires an export license under U.S. law.

523 How to File Electronically

To file through AESDirect, go to www.aesdirect.gov. For additional information on electronic filing, refer to the Census Bureau’s website at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes or call the toll-free information hotline at 800–549-0595.

524 How to Present to U.S. Postal Service

When the mailer or authorized agent has filed the Electronic Export Information (EEI), AES will provide an alphanumeric Internal Transaction Number (ITN), which confirms that EEI was successfully filed. Mailpieces presented to the Postal Service must bear the Proof of Filing Citation (PFC), which consists of the letters “AES” followed by the ITN. If the AES is unavailable at the time of filing, the mailer or authorized agent must provide an AES Downtime Citation instead of the PFC. An AES Downtime Citation consists of the letters “AESDOWN,” the user’s identification number, and the date. Customers must legibly write the PFC on the applica­ble customs form without obstructing the barcode on the label. On PS Form 2976, customers may write the number anywhere on the “green” portion of the form; on PS Form 2976-A, customers may write the number at the top of the form or in any clear space.

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We will incorporate this revision into the online version of the IMM, which can be accessed via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.