CBP Files CAPE Update with Court of International Trade
CBP has filed an updated status report with the Cour of International Trade (CIT) regarding progress on the Consolidated Administration and Process of Entries program or CAPE.
According to the update, phase 1 will be limited to entries that are unliquidated or for which the 90-day voluntary reliquidation period has not expired. CBP plans to expand CAPE to process finally liquidated entries in a later phase of development. Phase 1 will also accept entries where the liquidation status has been suspended, extended, or is under review, as well as warehouse and warehouse withdrawal entries, including entries that are subject to AD/CVD. For these entries, refunds will be provided upon normal liquidation rather than immediately. The entry categories that will not be accepted for Phase 1 include entries flagged for recon, entries designated on drawback claims, entries covered by open protests, entries not filed in ACE, and entries subject to AD/CVD where liquidation is pending. CBP will take 45 days from acceptance of a CAPE declaration to review and liquidate validated entry summaries unless a compliance concern results in further review.
CBP’s update also went into functionalities expected to be developed in later stages including enhanced tools to ensure compliance, streamline revenue enforcement, and the ability to process non-ABI entries. We will continue to keep an eye on CBP’s progress as they work to develop this new program. In the meantime, Carmichael continues to advocate for the filing of protests to preserve your right to potential IEEPA refunds. If you have entries nearing 150-day mark of the protest period, please contact your Carmichael representative for assistance in filing.
CIT Broadens Tariff Refund Order to Include Finally Liquidated Entries
On March 27, 2026, Court of International Trade (CIT) Judge Richard Eaton broadened his IEEPA Tariff refund order to include entries that have been finally liquidated. Previously, the order only covered non-finally liquidated entries. The suspension of the order regarding immediate compliance is still in place as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues work on the new CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) program. The order also clarified that nothing in the order addresses issues concerning duty free de minimis treatment under 19 U.S.C. 1321 that are otherwise before the court.
CPSC eFiling Implementation Nears, Monthly Webinars to be Hosted by CPSC
As the July 8 implementation date draws near, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a series of upcoming webinars to assist the Trade in the final months leading up to implementation. The goal of these sessions is to provide a general overview of eFiling, share what can be expected upon full implementation, and highlight any updates to the Product Registry.
The webinar schedule is as follows:
- Wednesday, April 8, 2026 2:00-3:00 PM ET – 3 Months Out
- Wednesday, May 6, 2026 2:00-3:00 PM ET – 2 Months Out
- Wednesday, June 3, 2026 2:00-3:00 PM ET – 1 Month Out
Attendance for these webinars is limited to 1,000 participants per session. Typically, CPSC does post recordings of the webinars after conclusion. If you have any questions for CPSC, please submit them when registering for the webinar. We highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity, especially if your products are regulated by CPSC.
New ACE Portal Account Application
In a CSMS message sent to the trade on April 1, CBP has released a new and improved ACE Portal account application. This new digital web form will assist with the submission of information to CBP when applying for a new account, requests to update account owner information, and communication with CBP during the account set up process. Enhanced processing features were also added for CBP personnel.
The ACE Portal trade account applications that are available include the importer application, the exporter application, the protest filer application, and the general New ACE Portal application for all other sub-account types. Going forward, applicants are encouraged to make use of the applicable web-based application for faster processing. However, as a note, companies needing to set up importer sub-accounts for multiple IOR numbers will still need to make use of the legacy ACE Portal application form.