5610-002A Standard Guidelines for the Input of Names and Addresses Into Automated Commercial System (ACS) Files

Published CBP guidance; operative status and applicability must be assessed from the retained publisher edition.

CUSTOMS DIRECTIVE
ORIGINATING OFFICE: FO:TP:E DISTRIBUTION: S-01
CUSTOMS DIRECTIVE NO. 5610-002A
DATE: APRIL 10, 2002
SUPERSEDES: 5610-002, 5/4/92
REVIEW DATE: APRIL 2005
SUBJECT: STANDARD GUIDELINES FOR THE INPUT OF NAMES AND
ADDRESSES INTO AUTOMATED COMMERCIAL SYSTEM (ACS)
FILES
1 PURPOSE.
1.1 The importer identification number file (SRE) i n ACS is the single most important

file. All i mportation transactions and all ACS processing interact with the SRE file. This

file contains unique identifying numbers and corresponding names and addresses.

1.2 Intended strictly as the means of recording names and addresses for mailing

Customs correspondence, the SRE file has evolved into a critical component of our

fiscal, legal and enforcement programs. The number, name, and address conveyed to

Customs via a CF 5106 is the basis for establishing bond coverage, release and entry

of merchandise, liquidation, issuance of bills and refunds, and processing of drawback

and Fines Penalties & Forfeiture (FP&F) actions.

1.3 Many problems that manifest themselves in the SRE file can be attributed to a

lack of standardized procedures and guidelines for i nput operators. These guidelines

are to correct these problems.

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2 POLICY.
2.1 It is the policy of the Customs Service that all data input for names and
addresses into the importer name and address file (SRE), bond file (BND), bond surety
file (BDA), drawback selectivity file (DMS), and the violator information file (FFC), will
conform to the national standard guidelines.
2.2 The objectives of this directive are to clarify those areas which have been lacking
in direction and to secure uniformity throughout the Customs Service by providing a
national set of standard input guidelines for names and addresses which will facilitate
enforcement efforts, and improve deliverability of bills and other documents.
2.3 These instructions for name and address standardization will be utilized by all
personnel performing name and address input into ACS, whether Customs on-line
users or via Automated Broker Interface (ABI) by ABI filers.

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3 AUTHORITIES/REFERENCES. 19 CFR Section 24.5; 101.1; 141.61(d);
142.3(a)(6), 143 Subparts A through D, 143.32 (f).
4 RESPONSIBILITIES.
4.1 Directors, Field Operations, Customs Management Centers, are responsible for
ensuring compliance with the provisi ons of this Customs Directive.
4.2 Port Directors are responsible for carrying out the provisi ons of this directive and
for disseminating its contents to their employees and to the trade under their
jurisdiction.
5 PROCEDURES.
5.1 STANDARD GUIDELINES.
5.1.1 Addresses are comprised of three components. These components, when
properly assembled will ensure the deliverability of mail. These address components
are:
5.1.2 "Attention line"-The name of the individual or name of the business.
5.1.3 "Delivery address line"-the physical location to which mail is delivered.
5.1.4 "Last line"-the geographical location identifier.
5.1.5 All users of these guidelines share in the responsibility of verifying the spelling of
names and addresses to ensure their accuracy.
5.2 GENERAL RULES.
5.2.1 All names and addresses are to be in their English translation.
5.2.2 Temporary addresses like General Delivery, in care of (C/O), and hotel or trade
shows are not to be used.
5.2.3 All elements of the name and address should be spelled out in their entirety
unless specifically instructed to do otherwise.
5.2.4 All street addresses are to be the official address as recognized by the U.S.
Postal Service. The use of street intersections ("Rte 7 and I-95"), industrial parks,
shopping centers, building names and trade centers in lieu of an official street address
will not be permitted unless it is recognized by the U.S. Postal Service. The importing
community should check with their l ocal Post Office to resolve problems with their
official address prior to furnishing this information to the Customs Service.

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5.2.5 A lower case "L" is not to be used as the number "1", and the letter "O" is not to
be used as the number "0" (zero).
5.2.6 Abbreviations are not to be used unless instructed otherwise and only those
forms of abbreviation contained in this Directive or the U.S. Postal Service "Zip Code
Directory" are to be used.
5.3 SPECIFIC RULES.
5.3.1 INDIVIDUAL NAMES.
5.3.1.1 Individual names will be input last name first, first name, middle initial with a
comma after the last name. Each element of the name will be separated by a space.
WILLIAM WADSWORTH RODGERS = RODGERS, WILLIAM W
5.3.1.2 The only acceptable marks of punctuation to be used in the names of
individuals are a comma after the last name, an apostrophe and a hyphen.
W.C. FIELDS = FIELDS, W C

JAMES H. O'SHAWNESSY = O'SHAWNESSY, JAMES H

OSCAR JOSE DIAZ-RODRIGUEZ = DIAZ-RODRIGUEZ, OSCAR J

5.3.1.3 No titles will be used in individual's names.
DR. WENDELL C. HOLMES = HOLMES, WENDELL C

SIR WALTER RALEIGH = RALEIGH, WALTER

CAPTAIN JOSEPH PENROD SCOTT = SCOTT, JOSEPH P

5.3.1.4 All numbers in individual's names will be in Roman numerals, e.g. I, II, III, IV,
and shown after the middle initial.
ROBERT A. SHEFIELD THE 3rd. = SHEFIELD, ROBERT A III
5.3.1.5 All suffixes will be abbreviated and shown after the middle initial. E.g. JUNIOR -
JR, SENIOR -SR.
ROBERT WOODROW WILSON JUNIOR = WILSON, ROBERT W JR
A. J. JOHNSON SENIOR = JOHNSON, A J SR
5.3.2 BUSINESS NAMES.
5.3.2.1 Business names will be input first name first. Each element of the business
name will be separated by a space.

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5.3.2.2 The only acceptable marks of punctuation to be used in business names are
the apostrophe, ampersand, and hyphen.
5.3.2.3 The word "AND" will be replace d by an ampersand (&).
5.3.2.4 The word "THE" will be omitted.
THE ROGER'S AND BROWN COMPANY = ROGER'S & BROWN CO
5.3.2.5 The numbers 1-10 in business names will be spelled out. For numbers 11 and
greater, use the Arabic numeral and appropriate suffix.
1st. NATIONAL BANK = FIRST NATIONAL BANK

3rd. UNION AND PACIFIC RAILROAD = THIRD UNION & PACIFIC RAILROAD

THIRTY THIRD FLYING CIRCUS = 33RD FLYING CIRCUS

UNION SEVENTY-SIX = UNION 76

5.3.2.6 The following abbreviations are the only acceptable abbreviations to be used in
business names:
AKA = ALSO KNOWN AS ENT = ENTERPRISE

CO = COMPANY INC = INCORPORATED

CORP = CORPORATION INTL = INTERNATIONAL

DBA = DOING BUSINESS AS LTD = LIMITED

DIV = DIVISION CHB = CUSTOMS BROKER

LLC = LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

5.3.2.7 When the company name is an individual's name or an individual is doing
business as a company, follow the rules for a business name for i nput if an IRS or
Customs assigned number is furnished.
JOHN P. BROWN DOING BUSINESS AS BROWN'S IMPORTS =
JOHN P BROWN D.B.A. BROWN'S IMPORTS
5.3.2.8 If a Social Security number is furnished, use the rules for i ndividual names.
JOHN P. BROWN DOING BUSINESS AS BROWN'S IMPORTS = BROWN, JOHN
P D.B.A. BROWN'S IMPORTS
5.3.2.9 If a U.S. state name appears in the business name use the two letter U.S.
Postal Service state code for the name (see attachment 1).
THE SOUTH CAROLINA EMPORIUM = SC EMPORIUM

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5.3.2.10 When a company's name exceeds 32 characters in length, begin with the first
name first and continue with the company's name until all 32 characters have been
used.
MINNESOTA MINING AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY DOING BUSINESS AS
THE 3 M CORPORATION = MN MINING & MANUFACTURING CO D.B.A.
5.3.3 ADDRESS.
5.3.3.1 The delivery address line will be broken down into its individual address
elements: street number, pre or post directionals, street name, suffix and/or building
name. Each address element will be separated by one space. There are eight
standard pre or post directional abbreviations. These abbreviations are to be used at
all times. They are:
NORTH = N NORTHEAST = NE
SOUTH = S NORTHWEST = NW
EAST = E SOUTHEAST = SE
WEST = W SOUTHWEST = SW
5.3.3.2 These are the eighteen most commonly used suffix codes. These
abbreviations are to be used at all times.
AVENUE = AVE HIGHWAY = HWY ROAD = RD
BOULEVARD = BLVD LANE = LN SQUARE = SQ
CIRCLE = CIR LOOP = LOOP STREET = ST
COURT = CT PARK = PARK TERRACE = TER
COVE = CV PARKWAY = PKY TRAIL = TRL
DRIVE = DR PLACE = PL WAY = WAY
5.3.3.3 Apartment, suite, and floor are to be input as /#, no other special characters will
be used in the address line.
134 WEST TARRYTOWN APT. #105 = 134 W TARRYTOWN /#105
424 BOULEVARD LANE SUITE 200 = 424 BLVD LN /#200
5.3.3.4 Post Office Box, Caller, Lock box, and Drawer addresses will be input as PO
Box NN.
POST OFFICE BOX #5301 = PO BOX 5301
DRAWER #875 = PO BOX 875
5.3.3.5 When the street name is numeric, use the Arabic numeral and appropriate
su ffix.

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1234 FIFTH AVENUE = 1234 5TH AVE
8976 62ND AVENUE = 8976 62ND AVE
5.3.3.6 The last line of the address will contain the city name spelled out in its entirety
followed by the two letter state abbreviation (see attachment 1) followed by the zip code
or the zip + 4 code for all domestic addresses. Each element of the last line will be
separated by one space. No punctuation or special characters will be permitted in the
last line with the exception of the hyphen in the zip + 4 code.
N.Y., N.Y. ZIP 10048-0945 = NEW YORK NY 10048-0945

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 29411 = CHARLESTON SC 29411

ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI 64506 = SAINT JOSEPH MO 64506

FT. WAYNE, INDIANA, 46825 = FORT WAYNE IN 46825

5.3.3.7 The terms Army Post Office, and Foreign Post Office when used in the last line
of the address will be abbreviated to APO and FPO respectively. The city name will be
spelled out in its entirety followed by the two letter state abbreviation followed by the zip
code or the zip + 4 code.
ARMY POST OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO, CA ZIP 96346-0001 =
APO SAN FRANCISCO CA 96346-0001
5.3.4 INTERNATIONAL ADDRESS
5.3.4.1 For companies and individuals using foreign addresses, all prior r ules apply
with the exception of last line standards. Each element of the last line will be separated
by one space.
5.3.4.2 There will be no punctuation used in the last line of the address with the
exception of those marks of punctuation furnished in the postal delivery zone number.
5.3.4.3 The city names will be spelled out in their entirety. Where a field exists for the
input of an ISO country code (as on the SREA Importer Add and SREC Import Change
screens), the appropriate two-letter ISO country code should be input. If no field exists
for the input of an ISO country code, the name of the country will be spelled out in its
entirety. (See attachment 3)
5.3.4.4 For a Canadian address, the city name will be spelled out in its entirety. All
Canadian Provinces should be abbreviated to their official two letter Canadian Province
code (see attachment 2). If there is a field provided for state code (as on the SREA
Importer Add and SREC Importer Change screens), place the official two letter
Canadian province code in the state code field. The province code should be followed
by the ISO country code for Canada which is CA, and the postal delivery zone number.
The postal delivery zone number is in the format ANANAN, where A = a letter and N = a
number.

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OTTAWA ONTARIO, K1A 0B1, CANADA = OTTAWA ON CA K1A0B1
5.3.4.5 For a Mexican address, the city name will be spelled out in its entirety followed
by the abbreviation for the state name (see attachment 3). The abbreviation for the
state name should be followed by the ISO country code for Mexico, which is MX.
Currently, there are no postal delivery zone numbers for Mexico.
5.3.4.6 For all other foreign addresses, the city and country name will be spelled out in
its entirety.
6 MEASUREMENTS.
6.1 E16, Weekly 5106 Duplicates Report. The Port Director will ensure that the
report is requested weekly and is annotated with review results. The report is reviewed
to ascertain whether deletion of one or more duplicate records is appropriate, or if other
action is necessary.
6.2 E17, Weekly Bad Addresses Report. The Port Director will ensure that the report
is requested weekly and is annotated with review results. Records added or changed
by U.S. Customs that fail Code-1 validation and standardization, but were overridden,
appear on the report only for the week they were added or changed. Those records
added by the ABI filer with U.S. addresses failing Code-1 processing, appear on the
report until a Customs officer corrects the address or manually verifies the address is
correct on-line in ACS, after consulting the ABI filer.
Assistant Commissioner
Office of Field Operations
Attachments

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ATTACHMENT 1
OFFICIAL UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
TWO-LETTER STATE AND POSSESSION ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviation State Name
AL Alabama MT
AK Alaska NE
AZ Arizona NV
AR Arkansa s NH
AS American Samoa NJ
CA California NM
CO Colorado NY
CT Connecticut NC
DE Delaware ND
DC Distr ict of Columbia MP
FM Federated States of Micronesia OH
FL Florida

GA Georgia

GU Guam

HI Hawaii

ID Idaho

IL Illinois

IN Indiana

IA Iowa

KS Kansas

KY Kentucky

LA Louisiana

ME Maine

MH Marshall Islands

MD Maryland

MA Massachusetts

MI Michigan

MN Minnesota

MS Mississippi

MO Missouri

OK
OR
PW
PA
PR
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
VI
WA
WV
WI
WY
Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

North Mariana Islands

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Palau

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Virgin Islands

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

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ATTACHMENT 2
OFFICIAL TWO LETTER CANADIAN PROVINCE CODES
PROVINCE/TERRITORY CODE
ALBERTA AB
BRITISH COLUMBIA BC
MANITOBA MB
NEW BRUNSWICK NB
NEWFOUNDLAND (INCL. LABRADOR) NF
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES NT
NOVA SCOTIA NS
ONTARIO ON
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND PE
QUEBEC QC
SASKATCHEWAN SK
YUKON TERRITORY YT

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ATTACHMENT 3
MEXICAN STATES
Abbreviation
AGS
BCN
BCS
CAMP
COAH
COL
CHIS
CHIH
DGO
GTO
GRO
HGO
JAL
MEX
MICH
MOR
NAY
NL
OAX
PUE
QRO
QROO
SLP
SIN
SON
TAB
TAMPS
TLAX
VER
YUC
ZAC
State Name

Aguascalientes

Baja California

Baja California Sur

Campeche

Coahuila

Colima

Chiapas

Chihuahua

Durango

Guanajuato

Guerrero

Hidalgo

Jalisco

Mexico

Michoacan

Morelos

Nayarit

Nuevo Leon

Oaxaca

Puebla

Queretaro

Quintana Roo

San Luis Potosi

Sinaloa

Sonora

Tabasco

Tamaulipas

Tlaxca la

Veracruz

Yucatan

Zacatecas