As reported in the TSA Tightening Screening Rules for Air Cargo Exports article featured in the Spring 2023 issue of The Scopelitis Transportation Brief, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that its policy of permitting “impracticable to screen” cargo (referred to as ITS cargo) to be exported from the U.S. by air is ending on October 31st, 2023. Thereafter, ITS cargo can only be exported by air if it is accepted from a shipper that participates in the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP).

On August 8th, 2023, TSA published a notice inviting shippers to join the CCSP. The agency has also conducted outreach meetings and calls with potential CCSP participants. Forwarders doing business with customers shipping ITS cargo are encouraged to address this issue proactively and before the new rule goes into effect. Currently, TSA’s position is that those customers will need to be approved by TSA to join the CCSP by no later than October 31, 2023; otherwise, their ITS cargo cannot be exported by air.

The approval process can take months to complete.