ACE Now Automatically Deactivates Any Importer of Record Number That Has Not Filed an Entry in 366 Days — a Dormant IOR Silently Becomes Ineligible to Transmit Cargo Release or Entry Summary
CBP issued a Trade User Information Notice stating that on July 16, 2026 it introduced a new "Inactive for Entry Purposes" status for Importers of Record in ACE, which automatically deactivates IOR accounts that have not filed an entry in 366 days, pursuant to 19 CFR 24.5. Deactivation is not a warning — a deactivated IOR number is ineligible to transmit a cargo release or entry summary transaction, and the filing fails with error F875 on an entry summary or error 333 on cargo release. CBP said it began with the accounts carrying the longest periods of inactivity and would incrementally deactivate the rest until every account without an entry in 366 days carried the status. Reactivation runs through a broker submitting an Importer/Consignee Create/Update (TP) message over ABI with Action Code A, or, if that is not possible, a revised CBP Form 5106 sent to the importer's Center Entry Team for manual reactivation. The status does not touch non-entry functions such as acting as consignee, filing drawback claims or reconciliations, securing bonds, or transmitting ISF data.
Real-World Impact
The threshold in CBP's notice is 366 days since the last filed entry. A seller whose most recent entry was filed on September 1, 2025 crosses that line on September 2, 2026 and becomes eligible for automatic deactivation — with no fee and no penalty, just a failed filing the next time a container arrives. The cost is time: the shipment cannot be released under that number until a broker pushes a TP message with Action Code A, or a revised Form 5106 clears the Center Entry Team.
Key Points
- CBP introduced the "Inactive for Entry Purposes" status for Importers of Record in ACE on July 16, 2026, enabling CBP to "automatically deactivate IOR accounts that have not filed an entry in 366 days, pursuant to 19 CFR 24.5"
- Rollout was staged, not instantaneous: CBP said accounts with the longest periods of inactivity would be flagged first, and that it would incrementally deactivate additional IOR accounts until all accounts without an entry in 366 days carried the status
- A deactivated IOR number is ineligible to transmit a cargo release or an entry summary transaction — the number still exists, but it cannot be used to bring goods in
- The two ACE error messages to recognize are F875 IMPORTER INACTIVE FOR ENTRY PURPOSES on an entry summary, and 333 IMPORTER INACTIVE FOR ENTRY PURPOSES on an Add/Replace/Update cargo release transaction
- Scope is limited to entry filing. CBP states the status does not affect non-entry functions for the IOR such as acting as a consignee, filing drawback claims, reconciliations, securing bonds, transmitting Importer Security Filing information, or other ACE business functions
- Reactivation route 1 — a customs broker submits an Importer/Consignee Create/Update (TP) message through the Automated Broker Interface with Action Code A to change the status from Inactive to Active
- Reactivation route 2 — importers unable to reactivate via ABI may submit a revised CBP Form 5106 with all mandatory data elements completed to their Center Entry Team for manual reactivation
- CBP points to CSMS # 69056621, "Process to Re-Activate a Deactivated Importer of Record in ACE," for the full reactivation procedure; questions go to the Entry Summary Accounts & Revenue Division at esar@cbp.dhs.gov, and technical issues to the ACE Account Service Desk at 866-530-4172 or ace.support@cbp.dhs.gov
- CBP's notice states the update impacts EDI processes, so brokers and self-filers using ABI software should expect the new status to surface in their transaction responses
- The status is visible in the ACE Portal as an INACTIVE for Entry Purposes field in the Administration Control Information section of the Details tab in the Importer view; when the value is Yes it also displays at the top of the Importer view
What You Should Do Now
- 1If you have not filed a US entry in roughly a year, ask your broker to check the INACTIVE for Entry Purposes status on your IOR in ACE before your next shipment leaves origin — not after it arrives
- 2Do the same check for any secondary or dormant importing entity you set up but have not used; each IOR number is evaluated on its own filing history
- 3If the status is Yes, have your broker submit an Importer/Consignee Create/Update (TP) message via ABI with Action Code A to flip it back to Active before the goods reach the port
- 4If ABI reactivation is not available to you, prepare a revised CBP Form 5106 with every mandatory data element filled in and send it to your Center Entry Team for manual reactivation
- 5Tell your broker to flag errors F875 and 333 to you immediately rather than treating them as a generic rejection — the fix is administrative, but only if someone recognizes the message
- 6While you are reviewing the Form 5106, verify the physical address, email, and phone on file are your own and are accurate, since CBP began voiding IOR numbers for inaccurate Form 5106 data on September 18, 2026 — a voided number is a separate and harder problem than an inactive one