The Automated Broker Interface is the electronic system U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses to receive entry and entry summary data from customs brokers, importers, and service bureaus through the Automated Commercial Environment. Instead of paper filed at the port, ABI moves entry data digitally and sends back release and status messages from CBP. To use it, you need to be an eligible filer, submit a formal application, pass a supervised testing period with certified software, connect through an approved communication method, and follow strict rules on entry data, corrections, penalties, and recordkeeping.
Who Can File Through ABI
Three categories of filers can transmit entries and entry summaries through ABI: licensed customs brokers, importers of record filing their own entries, and ABI service bureaus that handle data processing and communications for brokers or importers without conducting customs business themselves.1eCFR. 19 CFR Part 143 Subpart A – Automated Broker Interface Any other party may participate solely to file the Importer Security Filing (the “10+2” data required before ocean cargo arrives), but that filing does not count as an entry or entry summary.
Most importers work through a licensed broker rather than filing themselves. If you want to self-file without a broker license, request an entry filer code from the Broker Management Officer at the port where you do most of your business. CBP looks at import volume, filing frequency, and other factors when deciding whether to issue one.2U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How to Obtain a Filer Code
How to Get Approved to File
Before you transmit any live data, submit a letter of intent to the port director nearest your principal office, with a copy to CBP’s Assistant Commissioner for Information and Technology. In the letter you commit to building and maintaining a system that meets ABI’s performance, integrity, and confidentiality standards. It has to include a description of your hardware and communications setup, the name of your software vendor, your entry filer code, your average monthly filing volume, and estimated programming completion dates.3eCFR. 19 CFR 143.2 – Application
Once CBP reviews the letter, you move into a testing phase under a CBP client representative. The representative supplies the technical documentation, helps with system development, monitors performance during testing, and eventually certifies that your system is compatible with CBP’s. Only after certification does the port director authorize live transmissions.4GovInfo. 19 CFR 143.3 – Procedures for Transmission
Software and Connectivity
Most filers buy third-party software from a vendor that already conforms to CBP’s CATAIR technical specifications. CATAIR defines the exact data formats for cargo release, entry summaries, in-bond filings, and dozens of other transaction types.5U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ACE Automated Broker Interface (ABI) CBP and Trade Automated Interface Requirements Building in-house is allowed, but your development team has to complete the full certification process with a client representative before going live.
Once certified, your system needs an approved connection to CBP. Four methods are currently supported for electronic data interchange:
- Public Internet VPN/MQ Series, using a Cisco VPN over a standard ISP
- MPLS VPN through Verizon or AT&T using Multiprotocol Label Switching
- Service Center, a CBP-managed processing facility
- Value-Added Network (VAN), a third-party network provider that routes data between your system and CBP
Each method uses MQ Series messaging to protect data integrity in transit.6U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Transmitting Data to CBP via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
Every ABI participant should also register for an ACE Secure Data Portal account. The portal is CBP’s web-based access point for the trade community and partner government agencies, giving you filing history, account management tools, and trade reports. A company’s portal presence begins with a top account, under which sub-accounts and user profiles sit. CBP offers three user profile types with different permission levels: Account Owner, Proxy Account Owner, and Account User.7U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Introduction to an ACE Secure Data Portal Account
Power of Attorney When a Broker Files for You
A customs broker cannot transact business in an importer’s name without a valid power of attorney. CBP Form 5291 is the standard, but any document granting general or limited authority works as long as it mirrors that form’s format.8eCFR. 19 CFR Part 141 Subpart C – Powers of Attorney Partnerships can grant a power of attorney for no longer than two years and must list all partners by name. Other entities can grant authority for an unlimited period. A nonresident importer has to designate a U.S. resident agent authorized to accept service of process.
The broker keeps the power of attorney with their business records rather than filing it with CBP, and must produce it on demand for Treasury representatives.
What Goes Into an ABI Entry
Every ABI entry draws on the commercial invoice, packing list, and bill of lading. The core document is CBP Form 7501, the Entry Summary, which CBP uses to determine classification, appraisement, and country of origin.9U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Form 7501
Classification and Importer Identification
Each product needs a 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule code. The first six digits follow the international Harmonized System; the remaining four are U.S.-specific.10U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Harmonized Tariff Schedule – Determining Duty Rates The code drives the duty rate, any trade-preference eligibility, and whether a partner government agency has jurisdiction, so an error here cascades through the rest of the filing.
The filer also transmits the Importer of Record number identifying the entity legally responsible for the goods. For U.S. businesses, that is usually the IRS Employer Identification Number. Sole proprietors use their Social Security Number, and foreign entities get a Customs Assigned Importer Number.11U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Importer Numbers
Bonds and Fees
Every formal entry must be backed by a customs bond, either a single-transaction bond for one shipment or a continuous bond covering all entries during a set period. The system will reject an entry with no valid bond on file, and a surety code identifying the bonding company has to be transmitted with the filing.12U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Surety Code Required on Bonded AD/CVD Cases The port director can waive the surety or cash deposit requirement when merchandise value does not exceed $2,500, the entry summary and estimated duties are filed before release, and the importer has a clean compliance history.13eCFR. 19 CFR 142.4 – Bond Requirements
Two fees apply to most formal entries beyond duty. The Merchandise Processing Fee for fiscal year 2026 is 0.3464 percent of entered value, with a minimum of $33.58 and a maximum of $651.50 per entry.14Federal Register. Customs User Fees To Be Adjusted for Inflation in Fiscal Year 2026 For waterborne cargo, the Harbor Maintenance Fee is 0.125 percent of cargo value.15eCFR. 19 CFR 24.24 – Harbor Maintenance Fee Miscalculating either one will get the filing rejected or flagged for review.
Submitting, Fixing, and Living With the Entry
ABI filing is two steps. First, the filer transmits cargo release data so CBP can screen the shipment and authorize its release from the port. Second, the filer submits the full entry summary with duty calculations. If you do not file the entry summary at the time of entry, you have 10 working days from the date of entry to submit it with estimated duties.16eCFR. 19 CFR Part 142 Subpart B – Entry Summary Documentation
CBP’s system runs validation rules against the data and sends back a status message almost immediately. An “Entry Summary Accepted” message means the entry passed initial checks and is moving toward liquidation, the point at which CBP makes a final determination on duties owed. An “Entry Summary Rejected” message means something failed, typically an invalid tariff code, a duty calculation error, or a bond discrepancy, and the notice includes specific error codes so you can fix the problem. The system also cross-references your entry data against the carrier’s manifest to confirm every container and product is accounted for. Liquidation generally must occur within one year of the date of entry, though CBP can extend that deadline in certain circumstances.
If you catch a mistake after submission, CBP’s Post Summary Correction process lets you fix it. You can file a PSC within 300 days of the date of entry or up to 15 days before the scheduled liquidation date, whichever comes first. If CBP has granted a liquidation extension, the 300-day limit no longer applies, but you still must file at least 15 days before the rescheduled liquidation date. File outside those windows and ACE will reject the correction automatically.17U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Post Summary Corrections A timely PSC to fix a wrong classification or an undervaluation lets you correct the record and pay any additional duty before CBP opens a formal review; waiting until CBP catches the error turns a routine correction into a potential penalty case.
Remote Location Filing
Entries normally have to be filed at the port where goods physically arrive. Remote Location Filing lets a broker transmit entry data to any RLF-operational CBP location from anywhere in the country. To qualify, the broker must hold a national permit, be operational on ABI, be enrolled in the Electronic Invoice Program, and have used Automated Clearinghouse electronic payment for at least 30 days before the first RLF entry. Every RLF entry must be secured with a continuous bond; single-transaction bonds do not qualify.18eCFR. 19 CFR Part 143 Subpart E – Remote Location Filing
Penalties for Filing Errors
Inaccurate ABI filings carry the same civil penalties as any other method of entering false information into U.S. commerce. Under 19 USC 1592, anyone who introduces merchandise using materially false documents, data, or statements, or who omits material information, faces penalties scaled to culpability:19Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 19 USC 1592 – Penalties for Fraud, Gross Negligence, and Negligence
- Negligence, up to the lesser of the domestic value of the merchandise or two times the duties, taxes, and fees lost. If the error did not affect duty amounts, the penalty caps at 20 percent of dutiable value.
- Gross negligence, up to the lesser of the domestic value or four times the lost duties. If duties were not affected, the cap is 40 percent of dutiable value.
- Fraud, up to the full domestic value of the merchandise, with no lesser-of calculation.
The line between negligence and gross negligence often turns on whether CBP believes you had systems in place to catch errors. A one-time classification mistake on an unfamiliar product looks different from repeatedly using the same wrong tariff code after CBP has already flagged it. Keeping good records, filing PSCs promptly when you spot mistakes, and running internal audits all help demonstrate reasonable care.
Recordkeeping Requirements
Every ABI filer must retain entry records for five years from the date of entry. Records tied to other customs activities, such as drawback claims or informal entries, follow different retention periods, but five years is the default for formal entries.20eCFR. 19 CFR Part 163 – Recordkeeping
Records have to be kept in their original format, paper or electronic, unless you adopt an alternative storage method such as microfiche or machine-readable data, which requires written notice to CBP’s Regulatory Audit office in Charlotte, North Carolina at least 30 calendar days before you switch.20eCFR. 19 CFR Part 163 – Recordkeeping
Failure to produce records when CBP demands them during an audit carries its own penalties, separate from any 19 USC 1592 violation. A willful failure to comply can result in a penalty of up to $100,000 per release of merchandise or 75 percent of the appraised value, whichever is less. For negligent failures, the cap is $10,000 per release or 40 percent of appraised value.20eCFR. 19 CFR Part 163 – Recordkeeping