CBP announced the delivery of Simplified Entry/Cargo Release on June 4, 2012 with the first Simplified Entry filings at Indianapolis, Chicago and Atlanta. As of August 10, 2012, 7,914 Simplified Entries have been filed for 338 importers of record.

Based on an evaluation of the success of the pilot, CBP is deploying Simplified Entry/Cargo Release to additional airports using a regional approach. The port of Seattle is the latest port to join the pilot, receiving its first Simplified Entry on August 14, 2012. Expansion to the ports of San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles will follow soon thereafter. A subsequent expansion to the south and southeast, including Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and Miami, will take place in mid-September, to be quickly followed by an expansion to the northeast including Newark, New York/JFK and Boston.

On August 14, 2012, CBP published a Federal Register Notice announcing further expansion of the Simplified Entry test by opening the pilot to additional participants. Please consult the Federal Register Notice for explicit eligibility requirements and program participation details. Applications to participate in this expanded test must be received by CBP by September 4, 2012.

CBP is also working to expand the pilot functionality in the future to include additional capabilities: the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set, the Simplified Entry transaction set, Single Transaction Bonds, automatic cancellations and deletions and the Document Image System. CBP will also work to include Remote Location Filing (RLF) in future pilot deployments.

Simplified Entry/Cargo Release streamlines the release of goods and enhances cargo security. It segregates the filing of the transportation information from the filing of the entry information. This allows for the earlier filing of entry information which will in turn allow CBP personnel to apply more time and resources to identifying high-risk shipments. This risk-segmented approach potentially reduces transaction costs for the trade community. Filers can update the entry information until the point that the conveyance arrives. The capability for filers to update information will result in more accurate data for CBP and PGAs.