21Nov 07:08:33(z)

Advanced Cargo Information For Various Countries

Many countries/regions started to implement advanced cargo information systems with various names(e.g.AMS in USA, ICS in EU, ACI in Canada, KAMS in Korea).

Countries/Regions Which Require Advanced Cargo Information

1. Canada
2. China
3. European Union
4. India
5. Indonesia
6. Korea, Republic of
7. Taiwan
8. Thailand
9. United States of America
10. Vietnam
11. Japan
12. Dubai (United Arab Emirates)

Advanced Cargo Information

Such information includes the electronic transmission for cargo manifest(FFM), master air waybill(MAWB) and/or house air waybill(HAWB) (when HAWB exists) to the customs authorities of the offload point before flight arrived.

From June first 2018, shipment arrives at China must be provided with the firm/corporate/company registration code of "shipper" and "consignee".
The registration code for consignee in China will be the “Unified Social Credit Code” with 18 digits. The registration code for the overseas shipper could be the EIN (Employer Identification Number) in the U.S., Government Uniform Invoice Number (UIN) in Taiwan, or any other codes that serves the purpose for business registration.
Additionally, the telephone number of "shipper", "consignee" and the name of the notify party for consignee and its telephone number must be provided.

Where FFM and MAWB are to be prepared by carrier, shipper and its agent should provide the detailed HAWB information to the carrier for the transmission, in order to comply with the local customs regulation at the offload point.

The HAWB Information Should Include

1. HAWB number(as showed on the packages, up to 12 digits alphanumeric))
2. Shipper's full name and address
3. Consignee's full name and address
4. Airport of origin and destination
5. Description of the commodity (must not be ambiguous description, please check with the appendix)
6. Number of pieces and weight
   (the actual number of pieces of the packages must also be indicated as shipper load and count(SLAC) both on the MAWB and HAWB)

The provided information is expected to be accurate otherwise customs penalties will be involved.

Recently there are many Customs penalties or delayed Customs clearance reported from stations due to shipper did not provide correct HAWB information; or the weight of MAWB provided by shipper does not match with the sum of HAWB weight; or shipper asks to change the weight on air waybill after the shipment departed. China Airlines hereby reiterates that correct information must provided by shipper to carrier in order to avoid Customs penalties.

According to the Conditions of Contract in IATA TACT rules, Shipper shall comply with all applicable laws and government regulations of any country to or from which the cargo may be carried. Carrier is not liable to shipper and shipper shall indemnify Carrier for loss or expense due to shipper’s failure to comply with this provision.

Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) in USA

ACAS is a security measurement implemented by U.S. CBP on 12 June 2018. ACAS will filter out shipment with security issues by receiving and analyzing HAWB info sent by carrier or freight forwarders before shipment departed for USA. Any shipment having security issues informed by U.S. CBP must be PUT ON HOLD and MUST NOT ENTER USA until the security issues are solved. Any violation will be resulted in penalties from USD $5,000 to $10,000. To comply with the ACAS requirement, CAL needs to send MAWB/HAWB info to U.S. CBP as early as possible to retrieve CBP response, thus the cut‐off time is set for shippers delivering MAWB and HAWB before flight departure as follows: 4 hours for general cargo and 2 hours for live animal, perishable or express cargo.

Delivery

This information may be delivered to China airlines by physical document for manual input or by electronic data via local Cargo Community System(CCS) provider. Such electronic data is recognized as FHL message. The expected SITA address to receive FHL message is TPEFMCI.

Fee/Charges

When the HAWB is to be transmitted by the carrier to the customs, charges will be collected from the shipper or it's agent per each HAWB. The charges varies by the office of origin and how the HAWB is delivered (e.g. by physical document or electronic data). It is recommended to contact the local cargo sales office for the detailed charges.

Direct Transmission

Except for Thailand and Taiwan, the HAWB information may be transmitted to the customs directly by shipper or it's agent. For shipment to Taiwan, the HAWB information may be transmitted to the Taiwan customs by local certified agent in Taiwan, instead of being transmitted by China Airlines. The charges mentioned above will not be collected if the HAWB information is directly transmitted by shipper or it's agent.

When the HAWB information is to be directly transmitted to the destined customs, shipper or it's agent must comply the following:

1. To provide guarantee letter to certify that they will be fully liable for the penalty due to the violation of customs regulations.
2. The wording:“HAWB information has been submitted directly to customs" be typed in the handling information box of MAWB.
3. To confirm all cargo has loaded onto the aircraft before submitting the HAWB information to the customs.
4. If the additional information is required by local customs, must also be input on MAWB (e.g. 16 digit code for India customs)

Appendix: Unacceptable Description Of Commodities (US CBP records dated 2024/8/12)