On March 18, 2023, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) region alert enhancement will come into effect through CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system. The alert will “provide an early notification [by CBP] to importers of goods that may have been produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) which would be subject to UFLPA restrictions….”
According to CBP:
Three new validations will be performed when:
• The People’s Republic of China (CN) is selected as a manufacturer’s country of origin for entry,
• CN is selected as a manufacturer’s country of origin when a Manufacturer Identification Code (MID) is created, or
• An existing MID with Country of Origin ‘CN’ is updated.
The validations will be:
• Postal code will be a required field.
• Users will receive an error message if the postal code provided is not a valid Chinese postal code.
• Users will receive a warning message when a Uyghur region postal code has been provided.
If your company imports from China you will be required to enter the correct China postal code. An incorrect code (or one that does not match the Manufacturer’s postal code) could lead to a hold on or detention of the shipment, delaying delivery. If the Uyghur region postal code is used the shipment likely would not be released and you would have to provide clear and convincing evidence that the goods (or any materials in the goods) were not made or transported with forced labor.
Please make sure that that your suppliers, their forwarders and your US Customs Brokers have the correct China postal codes for the manufacturers of your goods in addition to the certifications and other documents to prove that there is no Forced Labor anywhere in your supply chain.
