Dear Importer, please see the attached info regarding CBP deployment of CAPE Phase 1.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched Phase 1 of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool on April 20, 2026, for IEEPA duty refunds.
Importers or brokers must submit CSV files via the ACE Secure Data Portal for unliquidated or recently liquidated entries (within 80 days). Validated refunds are expected within 60–90 days.
Key Aspects of the April 20, 2026, CAPE Deployment:
System and Filing: Submissions are made through a new "CAPE" tab in the ACE Secure Data Portal using a CSV file (CAPE Declaration). The Automated Broker Interface (ABI) cannot be used for these submissions.
Phase 1 Scope: Limited to unliquidated entries (including suspended/extended) and entries liquidated within the 80 days prior to submission.
File Requirements: Each CSV file may contain up to 9,999 entries. Multiple declarations can be submitted.
Validation & Refunds: Once CBP validates the entry, ACE updates the entry to remove IEEPA duties. Refunds are issued electronically via ACH, generally within 60-90 days.
Protests: Importers may withdraw existing protests and use the CAPE process for faster processing.
Future Phases: This is the first phase; more complex scenarios will be addressed later.
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