Census Bureau “Verify” Messages in the Automated Export System: Verifying International Shipment Information
Written by: Noel Isom-Horner and Kaitlyn Catapano, Micro Analysis Branch, U.S. Census Bureau
In the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)-Automated Export System (AES), “Verify” messages alert users to potential errors in shipping information. These messages are an opportunity to review your Electronic Export Information (EEI) to ensure data describing the export shipment is reported correctly. Common errors can be found in a product’s commodity classification code as well as in the reported value, quantity, shipping weight, and country of origin/destination.
In this blog, we provide more information on “Verify” messages, including tips on resolving them. Import entries also receive “Verify” messages in ACE based on the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS). Therefore, this blog also applies to imports classified under the HTS.
“Where do ‘Verify’ Messages come from?”
The U.S. Census Bureau’s International Trade Indicator Micro Analysis Branch oversees import and export data using the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System (HS), which categorizes goods using six-digit numbers to ensure consistent international product descriptions. In the United States, classification codes extend beyond these standard six digits by an additional four digits, resulting in complete 10-digit codes. The United States employs these 10-digit codes in two distinct classification systems: the United States Harmonized Tariff System (US-HTS) for imports and the Schedule B for exports.
Each Schedule B number has a set of specific parameters based on historical trade data and regulatory requirements, and these parameters are set by the Census Bureau’s International Trade Indicator Micro Analysis Branch. These parameters outline typical ranges as well as irregularities based on reported fields: value (in U.S. dollars), shipping weight (in kilograms), quantity, and country of origin/destination. Additionally, these parameters account for relationships between reported fields, such as the relationship between reported value and quantity (i.e., unit value) or between the reported quantity and shipping weight.
|
