Strengthening Customs Enforcement

This executive order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 180 days, to revise importer-of-record eligibility rules by requiring minimum domestic assets or bonding, enhanced ownership and business disclosures, maintenance of "good standing" with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an updated IOR registry, and enhanced vetting, and to prohibit foreign IORs from filing informal entries while imposing heightened formal-entry requirements on them, including CTPAT validation or use of a CTPAT-validated broker. It also directs heightened import disclosure and certification requirements, revised penalty mitigation standards with a minimum penalty floor of 50 percent within 90 days, expedited seizure and disposal of noncompliant imports, transparency measures, legislative recommendations within 45 days, and a report to the President within one year.

Importers of record to Maintain a minimum level of tangible domestic assets, bonding, or both, and meet increased minimum bond coverage requirements, as determined by CBP (unclear). Importers of record to Provide CBP additional data and identification information, including anticipated import volumes, year organized, ownership and beneficial ownership disclosures, business affiliation disclosures, and domestic asset disclosures (unclear). Importers of record to Maintain "good standing" with CBP based on compliance history and payment of customs liabilities; IORs not in good standing may not import or conduct activities directly related to importation (unclear). Foreign importers of record to Cease filing informal entries; for formal entries, forgo reliance on a continuous bond except as permitted by CBP, and obtain CTPAT validation if eligible or use a CTPAT-validated and licensed customs broker to file entries (unclear). Importers to Certify compliance with critical supply chain requirements, disclose certain foreign tax and global business identifiers, and provide detailed supply chain and production information for imported goods (unclear). Importers/foreign exporters to Submit any documentation or information that the foreign exporter was required to submit to the foreign customs administration prior to exporting to the United States (unclear). Importers of record, affiliates of IORs, customs brokers, custodians of bonded merchandise, and freight forwarders to Undergo enhanced and recurrent vetting to conduct activities directly related to the importation of goods (unclear).

No known legal challenges.