CBP Foreign Importer of Record ACE Update: CERT Nov 12, PROD Jan 5

Key Points

• CBP will deploy the Foreign Importer of Record (IOR) Enhancement to the ACE Certification (CERT) environment on November 12, 2026.
• The same enhancement goes to the ACE Production (PROD) environment on January 5, 2027.
• CBP has posted updated CATAIRs and error dictionaries under "Draft Chapters: Future Capabilities" on the ACE CATAIR webpage, including Entry Summary Create/Update V112.
• ACE Production will have an extended invasive maintenance window from 9:00 p.m. ET Saturday, November 14, 2026, to 4:00 a.m. ET Sunday, November 15, 2026.

On this page

1. What changed
2. Foreign Importer of Record enhancement timeline
3. ACE maintenance window on November 14-15
4. What importers should do
5. Key references

The Foreign Importer of Record enhancement reaches ACE CERT on November 12, 2026, and ACE Production on January 5, 2027, according to CBP. Separately, ACE Production will be in an extended invasive maintenance window from 9:00 p.m. ET on November 14 to 4:00 a.m. ET on November 15, 2026.

The links in this article go to the primary documents: the CSMS messages themselves. Read the source.

What changed

Two Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) notices were issued on November 10, 2026. Neither changes a duty rate or tariff classification. Both are operational filing notices, and they matter most to brokers, software vendors, and in-house filing teams that build or maintain ACE entry transactions.

Foreign Importer of Record enhancement timeline

In CSMS # 70409426, CBP says it will deploy the Foreign Importer of Record (IOR) Enhancement in two steps:

• November 12, 2026: deployment to the ACE Certification (CERT) environment.
• January 5, 2027: deployment to the Production (PROD) environment.

To support the deployment, CBP has published documents under "Draft Chapters: Future Capabilities" on the ACE CATAIR webpage. The notice lists Entry Summary Create/Update V112, a 15-record layout that includes a U.S. Importer of Record Indicator. The notice also references updated error dictionaries. The summary available to us is cut off after that point, so the full list of updated chapters and any other new data elements should be taken directly from the CSMS message and the CATAIR page.

The CERT-before-PROD sequence gives filers a testing window of roughly eight weeks between the two dates. That is the period in which software changes can be validated against the draft chapters and error dictionaries before the production deployment.

ACE maintenance window on November 14-15

CSMS # 70410085 announces an ACE Production extended invasive maintenance window. It runs from 9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 14, 2026, to 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 15, 2026. That is seven hours overnight into Sunday. The notice is informational. The text we have does not describe which ACE functions will be affected, so check the full message before deciding what to hold or file ahead of time.

The maintenance window and the IOR enhancement are separate notices. The IOR deployment dates are for the CERT environment on November 12 and PROD on January 5, and the maintenance window is a distinct production event on the weekend of November 14.

What importers should do

• Have your ACE software vendor or internal IT team review the draft CATAIR chapters, including Entry Summary Create/Update V112, and the updated error dictionaries before the November 12, 2026 CERT deployment.
• Plan CERT testing of Foreign Importer of Record scenarios now, so that issues are resolved before the January 5, 2027 PROD deployment.
• Schedule time-sensitive ACE transmissions around the 9:00 p.m. ET November 14 to 4:00 a.m. ET November 15 window, and read the full CSMS message for the affected functions.
• Check the ACE CATAIR webpage at cbp.gov for later revisions to the draft chapters, since they are published as future capabilities.

Key references

• CSMS # 70409426: Foreign Importer of Record updated CATAIRs and error dictionaries, with CERT and PROD deployment dates.
• CSMS # 70410085: ACE Production extended invasive maintenance window, November 14-15, 2026.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: agency site, including the ACE CATAIR webpage.