U.S. Census Bureau Regulations Affect All Delivery Companies that Accept Outbound International Shipments

Effective Sept. 30, the U.S. Census Bureau is requiring mandatory filing of export information through the Automated Export System (AES) or through AESDirect for all international shipments, where a Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) was previously required.

The electronic filing requirement applies when any type of goods (per Schedule B Export Codes at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b/) is valued at more than $2,500 or requires an export license under U.S. law. The Electronic Export Information (EEI) must be filed through the Census Bureau's AES or AESDirect website by the mailer or an authorized agent. The Postal Service never acts as an authorized agent. Export information filed in hardcopy on Commerce Form 7525-V, Shipper's Export Declaration (SED), will no longer be accepted.

To file through AESDirect, customers can go to www.aesdirect.gov. More information on electronic filing is available at the Census Bureau's website www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes, or by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-549-0595.