Amendment to Foreign Trade Statistics Regulations: Provisions for Filing Shipper's Export Data Electronically Using the Automated Export System (AES)

The U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) is amending the Foreign Trade Statistics Regulations (FTSR) to add provisions for filing shipper's export data electronically using the Automated Export System (AES). The AES is an export information gathering and processing system developed through cooperative efforts between the U.S. Customs Service (Customs), the Census Bureau, other federal agencies, and the export community. The AES is a completely voluntary system that provides an alternative to filing the paper Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) and manifest data, and will greatly streamline and improve the exporting process. Export information is collected electronically and edited immediately, and errors are detected and corrected at the time of filing. AES is a nationwide system operational at all ports and for all methods of transportation. Customs also is revising appropriate sections of its Customs Regulations in a final rule published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The Customs regulations will conform to the electronic filing provisions and requirements contained in this final rule.