(a) General requirement. Pursuant to section 343(a), Trade Act of 2002, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2071 note), in addition to the advance filing requirements pursuant to § 122.48a, for any inbound aircraft required to make entry under § 122.41, that will have commercial cargo aboard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must electronically receive from the inbound air carrier and/or another eligible ACAS filer, as specified in paragraph (c) of this section, certain information concerning the inbound cargo, as enumerated in paragraph (d) of this section. CBP must receive such information, known as ACAS data, no later than the time frame prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section. The transmission of the required ACAS data to CBP (ACAS filing) must be effected through a CBP-approved electronic data interchange system. Any ACAS referrals must be resolved in accordance with the provisions and time frame prescribed in paragraph (e) of this section. Any Do-Not-Load (DNL) instruction must be addressed in accordance with the provisions prescribed in paragraph (f) of this section.

(b) Time frame for presenting data. (1) Initial filing. The ACAS data must be submitted as early as practicable, but no later than prior to loading of the cargo onto the aircraft.

(2) Update of ACAS filing. The party who submitted the initial ACAS filing pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section must update the initial filing if, after the filing is submitted, any of the submitted data changes or more accurate data becomes available. Updates are required up until the time frame specified in § 122.48a(b) for submitting advance information under § 122.48a(a).

(c) Parties filing ACAS data—(1) Inbound air carrier. If no other eligible party elects to file the ACAS data, the inbound air carrier must file the ACAS data. If another eligible party does elect to file ACAS data, the inbound air carrier may also choose to file the ACAS data.

(2) Other filers. The following entities can elect to be ACAS filers, provided they also meet the ACAS filer requirements in paragraph (c)(3) of this section:

(i) All parties eligible to elect to file advance electronic cargo data listed in § 122.48a(c); and

(ii) Foreign Indirect Air Carriers. For purposes of this section, “foreign indirect air carrier” (FIAC) is defined as any person, not a citizen of the United States, who undertakes indirectly to engage in the air transportation of property. A FIAC may volunteer to be an ACAS filer and accept responsibility for the submission of accurate and timely ACAS filings, as well as for taking the necessary action to address any referrals and Do-Not-Load (DNL) instructions when applicable.

(3) ACAS filer requirements. All inbound air carriers and other entities electing to be ACAS filers must:

(i) Establish the communication protocol required by CBP for properly transmitting an ACAS filing through a CBP-approved electronic data interchange system;

(ii) Possess the appropriate bond containing all the necessary provisions of § 113.62, § 113.63, or § 113.64 of this chapter;

(iii) Report all of the originator codes that will be used to file ACAS data. If at any time, ACAS filers wish to utilize additional originator codes to file ACAS data, the originator code must be reported to CBP prior to its use; and

(iv) Provide 24 hours/7 days a week contact information consisting of a telephone number and email address. CBP will use the 24 hours/7 days a week contact information to notify, communicate, and carry out response protocols for Do-Not-Load (DNL) instructions, even if an electronic message is sent.

(4) Nonparticipation by other party. If a party specified in paragraph (c)(2) of this section does not participate in an ACAS filing, the party that arranges for and/or delivers the cargo to the inbound air carrier must fully disclose and present to the inbound air carrier the required cargo data listed in paragraph (d) of this section; and the inbound air carrier must present this data electronically to CBP under paragraph (a) of this section.

(5) Required information in possession of third party. Any other entity in possession of required ACAS data that is not the inbound air carrier or a party described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section must fully disclose and present the required data for the inbound air cargo to either the inbound air carrier or other eligible ACAS filer, as applicable, which must present such data to CBP.

(6) Party receiving information believed to be accurate. Where the party electronically presenting the cargo data required in paragraph (d) of this section receives any of this data from another party, CBP will take into consideration how, in accordance with ordinary commercial practices, the presenting party acquired such information, and whether and how the presenting party is able to verify this information. Where the presenting party is not reasonably able to verify such information, CBP will permit the party to electronically present the data on the basis of what that party reasonably believes to be true.

(7) Retention of government-issued photo identification document copies. When biographic data is a required data element under paragraph (d)(4)(v)(A) of this section, CBP may, following prior notification from CBP to ACAS filers, require such filer(s) to obtain a copy of the government-issued photo identification documents presented by individuals for purposes of fulfilling the biographic data requirements and retain the copy for 3 years. During the retention period, such ACAS filers must provide the copy to CBP if requested.

(d) ACAS data elements. Some of the ACAS data elements are mandatory in all circumstances, some are conditional and are required only in certain circumstances, and others are optional.

(1) Mandatory data elements. The following data elements are required to be submitted at the lowest air waybill level (i.e., at the house air waybill level if applicable) by all ACAS filers and are defined as set forth in § 122.48a unless otherwise provided in this paragraph (d)(1):

(i) Shipper name and address;

(ii) Consignee name and address;

(iii) Consignee email address (the email address for the party identified under paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section);

(iv) Consignee phone number (the phone number for the party identified under paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section);

(v) Cargo description;

(vi) Total quantity based on the smallest external packing unit;

(vii) Total weight of cargo;

(viii) Air waybill number (the air waybill number must be the same in the filing required by this section and the filing required by § 122.48a);

(ix) Shipment packing location and/or scheduled shipment pickup location (The shipment packing location is the name and address of the location where the cargo was initially made ready for transportation before the cargo arrives at the location where the cargo will be loaded on the aircraft. The scheduled shipment pickup location is the name and address of the location where the cargo is scheduled to transfer from the custody of the shipper to the custody of the inbound air carrier or other party arranging for and/or delivering the cargo to the inbound air carrier.); and

(x) Ship to party (the name and address of the first deliver-to party scheduled to physically receive a shipment after the shipment is released from CBP custody).

(2) Conditional data element: master air waybill number. The master air waybill (MAWB) number, as defined under § 122.48a, for each leg of the flight is a conditional data element. The MAWB number is a required data element in the following circumstances; otherwise, the submission of the MAWB number is optional, but encouraged:

(i) When the ACAS filer is a different party than the party that will file the advance electronic air cargo data required by § 122.48a. To allow for earlier submission of the ACAS filing, the initial ACAS filing may be submitted without the MAWB number, as long as the MAWB number is later submitted by the ACAS filer or the inbound air carrier according to the applicable ACAS time frame for data submission in paragraph (b) of this section; or

(ii) When the ACAS filer is transmitting all the data elements required by § 122.48a according to the applicable ACAS time frame for data submission; or

(iii) When the inbound air carrier would like to receive from CBP a check on the ACAS status of a specific shipment. If the MAWB number is submitted, either by the ACAS filer or the inbound air carrier, CBP will provide this information to the inbound air carrier upon request.

(3) Conditional data element: verified Known Consignor Information. If the shipper, identified under paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section, is designated as a Verified Known Consignor by a CBP-recognized body, the registration number associated with the shipper's Verified Known Consignor status and the CBP-specified code representing the designating body are required.

(4) Conditional data elements that may be required when there is not a Verified Known Consignor. The following data elements are required if the shipper, identified under paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section, is not identified as a Verified Known Consignor under paragraph (d)(3) of this section and the additional circumstances listed in paragraph (d)(4)(ii), (iii), or (iv) or (d)(4)(v)(A) or (B) of this section exist. If the shipper is a Verified Known Consignor or the circumstances listed for a data element in this paragraph (d)(4) do not exist, the transmission of the data element is optional, but encouraged.

(i) Definitions. For the purposes of this paragraph (d)(4):

Customer means a party who has an ownership interest in cargo, as either a buyer or seller, who engages with a logistics provider to arrange transport of the cargo to the United States. A foreign entity that provides services that involve aggregating shipments from customers, in which the foreign entity acts as a facilitator and engages with a logistics provider for the importation of cargo into the United States, is not a customer for the purposes of this paragraph (d)(4).

Logistics provider means an entity that provides transportation, importation, and/or delivery services for the importation of cargo into the United States.

(ii) Data elements required for each ACAS filing. The following data elements are required for each ACAS filing under this paragraph (d)(4):

(A) Shipper email address (the email address for the party identified under paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section);

(B) Shipper phone number (the phone number for the party identified under paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section);

(C) Customer account shipping frequency/volume (the nature of the business relationship between the customer and the logistics provider that issued the lowest level air waybill, expressed as one of the following applicable codes representing the frequency and volume of shipments conducted within that business relationship: shipping outlet/walk-in, immediate transaction, occasional shipper, regular/daily shipper, or high-volume shipper); and

(D) Customer account billing type (the method of payment used by the customer to pay for the shipping transaction).

(iii) Data elements required for customer account shipping frequency/volume assigned shipping outlet/walk-in, occasional shipper, regular/daily shipper, or high-volume shipper codes. The following data elements are only required when the customer account shipping frequency/volume, under paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(C) of this section, is assigned the shipping outlet/walk-in, occasional shipper, regular/daily shipper, or high-volume shipper codes:

(A) Customer account name. When the customer account shipping frequency/volume, paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(C) of this section, is assigned the high-volume shipper, regular/daily shipper, or occasional shipper codes, this is the name of the customer. However, when the customer account shipping frequency/volume data element, paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(C) of this section, is assigned the shipping outlet/walk-in code, this is the name of the shipping outlet or other party that accepted the cargo from the customer;

(B) Customer account issuer. The customer account issuer is the party that engaged with the party identified under the customer account name, paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(A) of this section, for the purposes of importing cargo into the United States by air, identified by the applicable code: Air Waybill prefix, CBP Filer Code, or ACAS Originator Code;

(C) Customer account number. The customer account number is the identifier assigned by the customer account issuer, identified under paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(B) of this section, to represent the customer account name, identified under paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(A) of this section;

(D) Customer account establishment date. The customer account establishment date is the date the party identified as the customer account name, paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(A) of this section, established an account with the party identified as the customer account issuer, paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(B) of this section; and

(E) Unmasked internet protocol (IP) address or media access control (MAC) address of the device used during account creation (If the customer account establishment date under paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(D) of this section is after November 21, 2025, the ACAS filer must transmit the unmasked IP or MAC address of the device used during the creation of the account between the parties identified under the customer account name, paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(A) of this section, and customer account issuer, paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(B) of this section.).

(iv) Data elements required for customer account shipping frequency/volume assigned shipping outlet/walk-in, immediate transaction, or occasional shipper codes. The following data elements are only required when the customer account shipping frequency/volume, under paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(C) of this section, is assigned the shipping outlet/walk-in, immediate transaction, or occasional shipper codes:

(A) Shipping cost. The shipping cost is the total amount of charges, reported in U.S. dollars, assessed by the carrier, freight forwarder, or other logistics provider to deliver the cargo including, but not limited to, taxes, insurance, and other applicable costs. Alternatively, an estimated shipping cost is acceptable when the total amount of charges will be assessed after the ACAS filing is transmitted, or when the ACAS filer is not the carrier, freight forwarder, or other logistics provider that assessed the total amount of charges to deliver the shipment.

(B) Unmasked internet protocol (IP) address or media access control (MAC) address of the device used to initiate the shipping transaction and the unmasked IP address or MAC address of the device used to file the ACAS filing each time an ACAS filing is transmitted.

(v) Data elements required only in certain situations. (A) Biographic data. Biographic data (Biographic data is the data contained on a CBP-approved government-issued photo identification document verified to match the individual presenting cargo for shipment. Biographic data includes, but is not limited to, the government-issued identification document type, the identifier that is uniquely associated with the identification document, the issuing government authority and country, the name of the individual, and the date of birth of the individual. Biographic data also includes the date and time an individual presents a CBP-approved government-issued photo identification document for the collection of biographic data under this paragraph (d)(4)(v)(A). A copy of the document used to provide biographic data is subject to the retention requirement under paragraph (c)(7) of this section.) is a required data element:

(1) When the customer account shipping frequency/volume, identified under paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(C) of this section, is assigned the shipping outlet/walk-in code; or

(2) When a shipment contains household goods or personal effects.

(B) Link to product listing and unmasked internet protocol (IP) address or media access control (MAC) address of the device used by the consignee to purchase the product. This data element is required when a consignee, who does not have an account with the logistics provider that issued the lowest level air waybill, initiates a cargo shipment by conducting a transaction on any internet store or online marketplace platform. When this data element is required, the ACAS filer must transmit:

(1) The unmasked IP address or MAC address of the device used by the consignee to purchase the product; and

(2) The uniform resource locator (URL) of the product; or

(3) The stock keeping unit (SKU) of the product so long as the home page URL of the website used to conduct the transaction is also transmitted and entry of the SKU into the search function of the website results in the display of the product landing page described under paragraph (d)(4)(v)(B)(2) of this section.

(5) Optional data elements. The transmission of the following data elements is optional, but encouraged.

(i) Second Notify Party. The ACAS filer may choose to designate a Second Notify Party to receive shipment status messages from CBP.

(ii) Origin of shipment. The International Standards Organization (ISO) country code representing the country where the cargo was tendered for shipment.

(iii) Declared value. Declared value is the U.S. fair market value of the cargo in U.S. dollars.

(iv) Harmonized commodity code. The Harmonized commodity code is the applicable Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code at the 6-digit or 10-digit level.

(v) Transaction type. The CBP-specified code that best represents the transactional relationship between the shipper and the consignee (e.g., C2B—Consumer to Business).

(vi) Special handling type. The CBP-specified special handling code or dangerous goods code applicable to certain cargo shipments.

(vii) Customer account email address. The email address associated with the account identified under paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(A) of this section.

(viii) Customer account phone number. The phone number associated with the account identified under paragraph (d)(4)(iii)(A) of this section.

(ix) Shipper Manufacturer Identification (MID) code or Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) information. The MID code or AEO number and code representing the designating body for the party identified as the shipper under paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section.

(x) Consignee importer of record number. The consignee importer of record number is the U.S. Social Security number, the Internal Revenue Service number, the Employer Identification Number (EIN), or the CBP-assigned number used as the importer of record number by the party identified as the consignee under paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section.

(xi) Regulated agent name, address, and code. The name, address, and code associated with a party that ensures security controls for the transportation of cargo by air in accordance with standards established by a CBP-recognized body.

(xii) ACAS filing type. The CBP-specified filing code that represents the nature of the handling and transportation of the cargo shipment (e.g., Standard, Express, E-Commerce).

(xiii) Any additional data elements listed in § 122.48a or any additional information regarding ACAS data elements may be provided and are encouraged.

(e) ACAS referrals—(1) Potential referrals. There are two types of referrals that may be issued by CBP after a risk assessment of an ACAS submission:

(i) Referral for information. A referral for information will be issued if a risk assessment of the cargo cannot be conducted due to non-descriptive, inaccurate, or insufficient data. This can be due to typographical errors, vague cargo descriptions, and/or unverifiable information; and

(ii) Referral for screening. A referral for screening will be issued if the potential risk of the cargo is deemed high enough to warrant enhanced screening. A referral for screening must be resolved according to TSA-approved enhanced screening methods.

(2) ACAS referral resolution. All ACAS filers and/or inbound air carriers, as applicable, must respond to and take the necessary action to address all referrals as provided in paragraphs (e)(2)(i)-(ii) of this section, no later than prior to departure of the aircraft. The appropriate protocols and time frame for taking the necessary action to address these referrals must be followed as directed. The parties responsible for taking the necessary action to address ACAS referrals are as follows:

(i) Referral for information. The ACAS filer is responsible for taking the necessary action to address a referral for information. The last party to file the ACAS data is responsible for such action. For instance, the inbound air carrier is responsible for taking the necessary action to address a referral for information if the inbound air carrier retransmits an original ACAS filer's data and the referral is issued after this retransmission.

(ii) Referral for screening. As provided in paragraph (e)(1)(ii) of this section, a referral for screening must be resolved according to TSA-approved enhanced screening methods. If the ACAS filer is a party recognized by TSA to perform screening, the ACAS filer may address a referral for screening directly; if the ACAS filer is a party other than the inbound air carrier and chooses not to address the referral for screening or is not a party recognized by TSA to perform screening, the ACAS filer must notify the inbound air carrier of the referral for screening. The inbound air carrier is responsible for taking the necessary action to address a referral for screening, unless another ACAS filer recognized by TSA to perform screening has taken such action.

(3) Prohibition on transporting cargo with unresolved ACAS referrals. The inbound air carrier may not transport cargo on an aircraft destined to the United States until any and all referrals issued pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section with respect to such cargo have been resolved.

(f) Do-Not-Load (DNL) instructions. (1) A Do-Not-Load (DNL) instruction will be issued if it is determined that the cargo may contain a potential bomb, improvised explosive device, or other material that may pose an immediate, lethal threat to the aircraft and its vicinity.

(2) As provided in paragraph (c)(3)(iv) of this section, all ACAS filers must provide a telephone number and email address that is monitored 24 hours/7 days a week in case a Do-Not-Load (DNL) instruction is issued. All ACAS filers and/or inbound air carriers, as applicable, must respond and fully cooperate when the entity is reached by phone and/or email when a Do-Not-Load (DNL) instruction is issued. The party with physical possession of the cargo will be required to carry out the Do-Not-Load (DNL) protocols and the directions provided by law enforcement authorities.

(3) The inbound air carrier may not transport cargo with a Do-Not-Load (DNL) instruction.

[CBP Dec. 18-05, 83 FR 27405, June 12, 2018, as amended by CBP Dec. 25-08, 90 FR 52843, Nov. 21, 2025]