Friday, February 5, 2010

What do I do if I get a No Bill on File Message with my ISF?


There are many reasons for No Bill on File messages when filing your importer security filing. Here are some causes and what you can do to rectify them:

1. The bill of lading will not match if you file the ISF before the BoL is entered into AMS. You do not need to retransmit; Customs will continue to try to match the BoL.
2. The bill of lading may not match right away if the goods hit several ports before coming to the US. The BoL may not match until it leaves the last port bound for the US. There is no need to retransmit; Customs will continue to try to match the BoL.
3. The BoL will not match if the wrong Bill Type is indicated. If the BoL is marked as a Straight bill in AMS but a House bill on the ISF, the bills will not match. If this is the problem, select the correct Bill Type in the Header Screen, Save changes, and retransmit the ISF.
4. If none of these solutions work and/or if the goods are about to leave the last port bound for the US and you still don't have a bill match, it is good practice to call to verify that you have the correct Bill Type, SCAC code, and Bill Number. If your BoL is wrong, update the ISF and retransmit. If all the information is correct, there is nothing you can do but wait for Customs to match it on their end. For some reason, some BoLs never match; this is why Customs will not be issuing fines or penalties for bill matches until their system is more refined.

At this time, Customs is not fining, and the way they are matching bills is still imperfect. The important thing to do at this time is to file an Importer Security Filing for every ocean entry.

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