(The Journal of Commerce)
U.S.
Customs has announced that importers wishing to join the C-TPAT program on or after March 25, 2005 will need to meet or exceed the security criteria before they will be "certified" and eligible for
benefits, adding that applications for new membership will only be accepted electronically, via the C-TPAT web-based on-line application for importers.
Importers that participate in the Customs-Trade
Partnership Against Terrorism have a new set of deadlines to upgrade their security to new voluntary guidelines.
Customs and Border Protection posted a final version of the long-awaited C-TPAT
Importer Security Criteria on its Web site on Friday. Customs officials in the past have said that the new criteria will further tighten supply-chain security.
Along with the criteria is a timetable
for importer compliance. Importers will have until May 25 to "harden" their physical supply chains through new requirements for container security, premises security and access controls.
By
July 25, importers will enhance internal supply-chain management practices, including personnel security, document processing, information technology security and training.
By Sept. 25, importers
must have procedures in place for foreign business partners, including documentation that vendors are meeting the C-TPAT criteria. There are currently no published benefits for companies that meet the new
standards.
Importers may find the new criteria online here.
Even though at present the new criteria apply to
importers, this may provide a glimpse to the future when enhanced C-TPAT principles could be expanded to other parties in the trade chain including brokers, forwarders and carriers.
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