Highlights of Census' January 2009 AES Newsletter
The Census Bureau has posted to its Web site the January 2009 issue of its Automated Export System (AES) Newsletter.
Highlights of Census' AES Newsletter include:
FY 2008 BIS export licensing statistics. Census notes that in fiscal year 2008, the Bureau of Industry and Security processed 21,290 export license applications involving trade, an increase of 9% over the 19,504 applications processed in FY 2007 and represented the highest number of applications reviewed by BIS in over a decade. BIS approved 17,942 license applications, returned 3,171 applications without action, and denied 177 applications.
In FY 2008, BIS' average processing time for license applications was 27 days.
FY 2008 AES compliance with the EAR. Census states that 87% of AES transactions involving a license or license exception under the Export Administration Regulations were reported accurately in FY 2008.
The following lists the top compliance problems with EAR-related reporting in AES:
(1) Incorrect Use of "No License Required" (NLR) License Type.
(2) Missing Export Control Classification Number (ECCN).
(3) Incorrect Use of EAR99.
(4) Invalid Country Use With Commerce Control List (CCL)-Based License Exception.
(5) CCL-Based License Exception Not Applicable to an ECCN.
(6) Country Mismatch Between License and AES Destinations.
Trade compliance responsibility, POA. In a section entitled, "Trade Compliance-Everyone's Responsibility!," Census details responsibilities and provides instructions for filing electronic export information (EEI), including filing a Power of Attorney (POA) in standard export transactions and routed export transactions. (Census provides a sample POA at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/regulations/power-of-attorney-sample.pdf.)
FTD/ITA export training videos. In partnership with the International Trade Administration, Census' Foreign Trade Division is creating a series of "Export 101" training videos, which are designed to help new-to-experienced companies understand the basics of exporting.
AESDirect and AESPcLink user notes. Census has provided tips for both AESDirect and AESPcLink filers:
AESDirect Users - If a filer has a pop-up blocker on their computer, the filer must temporarily remove it to use the AESDirect look-up feature. The search boxes will not pop-up during a look-up if a filing has the pop-up blocker activated.
AESPcLink Users - Filers should remember to use the Tools Menu at least once per month to update their AESPcLink software and AES Code Tables.
Quantity/unit of measure fields, 2009 HTS tables, etc. Census also discusses several other areas of AES in its newsletter, including:
entering quantity and unit of measure fields when filing shipment information
- 9 Schedule B and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) tables
the difference between the suppression and cancellation of a shipment
common reporting problems
(See ITT's Online Archives or 01/07/09 and 02/06/09 news, 09010715 and 09020620, for BP summaries of Census' announcement that the 2009 Schedule B and HTS numbers have been implemented in AES (with a 30 day grace period), and an updated list of HTS numbers that cannot be used to report exports.
See ITT's Online Archives or 01/30/09 news, 09013025, for BP reminder that U.S. Customs and Border Protection's mandatory AES and FTR penalty mitigation guidelines took effect February 1, 2009.)
Census AES Newsletter (dated January 2009) available at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/aesnewsletter012009.pdf