[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 222 (Friday, November 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57774-57775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28673]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Customs Service


Remote Location Filing: Extension of Deadline for Customs Brokers 
To Submit National Permit Numbers to Customs

AGENCY: Customs Service, Department of the Treasury.

ACTION: General notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a deadline extension for customs brokers 
participating in the remote location filing (RLF) prototype to submit 
national permit numbers to Customs. The original date by which customs 
brokers were required to submit this data to Customs Headquarters was 
November 6, 2001. Due to recent events that have disrupted mail service 
to Customs Headquarters, this date is being extended to December 6, 
2001.

DATES: Customs brokers who are current participants in RLF must submit 
their national permit numbers to Customs on or before December 6, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submissions of national permit numbers should be sent to 
Customs either via email to [email protected] or via fax 
to (202) 927-1096 or, in the alternative, addressed to the Remote 
Location Filing Team, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs Service, 
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 5.2-B, Washington, DC 20229.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Santana, (202) 927-4243 or via 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

RLF Authorized by the National Customs Automation Program (NCAP)

    Title VI of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation 
Act, Pub. L. 103-182, 107 Stat. 2057 (December 8, 1993), contains 
provisions pertaining to Customs Modernization (107 Stat. 2170). 
Subpart B of title VI of the Act concerns the National Customs 
Automation Program (NCAP), an electronic system for the processing of 
commercial imports. Within subpart B, section 631 of the Act adds 
section 414 (19 U.S.C. 1414), which provides for Remote Location Filing 
(RLF), to the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. RLF permits an eligible 
NCAP participant to elect to electronically file a formal or informal 
consumption entry with Customs from a remote location within the 
Customs territory of the United States other than the port of arrival, 
or from within the port of arrival with a requested designated 
examination site outside the port of arrival.

RLF Prototype Two

    In accordance with Sec. 101.9(b) of the Customs Regulations (19 CFR 
101.9(b)), Customs has developed and tested two RLF prototypes.
    RLF Prototype Two commenced on January 1, 1997. See document 
published in the Federal Register (61 FR 60749) on November 29, 1996. 
The RLF Prototype Two terms and conditions remain in effect except for 
those explicitly changed by a document published in the Federal 
Register on July 6, 2001 (66 FR 35693).

New Eligibility Criterion for Brokers Participating in RLF Prototype 
Two

    One of the changes to RLF Prototype Two effected by the July 6, 
2001, Federal Register document imposed a new eligibility criterion for 
participation in RLF. The eligibility criterion requires that licensed 
customs brokers who are current RLF participants must submit proof to 
Customs that they hold a national permit (i.e., submission of the 
broker's national permit number). Failure to timely submit such proof 
to Customs will result in the automatic suspension of the broker's 
eligibility to participate in RLF. If suspended, a broker is precluded 
from electronically filing new entries from a remote location. If 
Customs receives delinquent submission of a national permit number from 
a broker whose suspension is in effect, Customs, after verification of 
the permit number, will notify the broker of the reinstatement date of 
the broker's right to participate in RLF; the broker will not need to 
reapply to participate in RLF.
    The July 6, 2001, Federal Register document required that proof of 
the national permit be submitted to Customs by November 6, 2001, and 
failure to timely submit such proof to Customs by that date was to 
result in the automatic suspension of the broker's eligibility to 
participate in RLF, effective November 7, 2001.
    It is noted that individuals who are otherwise eligible to 
participate in RLF, who are not customs brokers, are not required to 
hold a national broker permit.

Extension of Deadline To Submit Proof of National Permit to Customs

    Subsequent to the publication of the July 6, 2001, Federal Register 
document, certain events have significantly disrupted mail service to 
Customs Headquarters. As a result, submissions of national permit 
numbers to Customs may be delinquent due to circumstances beyond the 
control of RLF participants. Accordingly, this document announces 
Customs decision to extend the deadline by which national permit 
numbers must be submitted to Customs to December 6, 2001. Failure to 
timely submit national permit numbers to Customs will result in the 
automatic suspension of the broker's eligibility to participate in RLF, 
effective December 7, 2001. All other terms and conditions pertaining 
to delinquent submissions and, where applicable, reinstatement, remain 
in effect as described above.

Resubmissions via Email and fax Encouraged

    Mail service to Customs Headquarters has been suspended since 
October 21, 2001, and, as of the date of publication of this document, 
it is not certain when service will resume. For this reason, Customs 
urges those RLF participants who previously submitted national permit 
numbers to Customs Headquarters via the mail, subsequent to October 1, 
2001, to resubmit this data. Resubmissions should be made either via 
email to [email protected] or via fax to (202) 927-1096. 
Similarly, those RLF participants who have not yet submitted such data 
are encouraged to make future submissions via email or fax to the above 
addresses. In the event submission via email or fax is not possible, 
mail submissions should be made to the Remote Location Filing

[[Page 57775]]

Team, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs Service, 1300 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 5.2-B, Washington, DC 20229.

    Dated: November 6, 2001.
Elizabeth G. Durant,
Acting Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations.
[FR Doc. 01-28673 Filed 11-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4820-02-P