The Importer Security Filing (ISF) also referred to as 10+2, is a customs import requirement of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ; which requires containerized cargo information, for security purposes, to be transmitted to the agency at least 24 hours (19 CFR section 149.2(b)[1] before goods are loaded onto an ocean vessel headed to the U.S. (i.e. mother vessel, not feeder vessel) for shipment into the U.S. 10+2 is pursuant to section 203 of the SAFE Port Act, and requires importers to provide 10 data elements to CBP, as well as 2 more data documents (Container Status Messages and the vessel's Stow Plan)from the carrier.
[2] For shipments on the water on or after June 30, 2016, CBP had ended the phased-in approach and ISF compliance is in full effect.
[3] If compliance is not met, liquidated damages penalties up to $5,000 may be issued by the local port for each violation.
The bill of lading number is the only common “link” between the ISF and the customs manifest data.
With an automated solution, importers utilize the software to: The importer is ultimately responsible for filing the required data elements or trusting a third party, such as a broker or a Freight forwarder, to submit the appropriate product information,[6] or using an automation system provided by companies which offer ERP system to help manage electronic filing requirements of customs of other countries, such as Integration Point, SAP, Amber Road, to submit the appropriate product information.