Big changes are coming soon for U.S. exporters who use AESDirect or AESPcLink to file their Electronic Export Information (EEI). Starting in February, the government will be cutting off access to phase-out these legacy filing systems in favor of the new ACE Portal system. If you self-file your EEI using either system, you will need to setup and begin using an ACE export account before the old systems are shut down for good. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Setup an ACE export account
How you create or apply for an ACE export account will depend on whether or not you are an existing ACE Portal user.
If you’re a current user (importer, broker, etc.)
You can create an export account from within the ACE Portal. For complete instructions of what to do, including screenshots, see Topic 3: Creating an Export Account for Current ACE Portal Users in this Quick Reference Guide. Be advised that you will need to be the Trade Account Owner (TAO)—the person with the highest level of access in your company’s ACE Portal account—to create an export account.
If you’re a new user
If you’ve never used ACE before, you must apply for an ACE export account. You will need to complete the online application, here. For step-by-step directions on how to fill out the application, see Topic 1: Applying for an ACE Exporter Account for Non-ACE Account Users, in the Quick Reference Guide.
A few things to keep in mind when applying:
- The person identified in the ACE Account Owner section of the application form will be designated as the Trade Account Owner (TAO) for the export account.
- Once the export account is established, the TAO will receive an ACE email notification with instructions on retrieving their password in order to login to the ACE Portal and access their account. The Account ID will be identified as well.
- The system will subsequently prompt you for a shared secret value when obtaining your temporary password. The shared secret value is usually the same as your Account ID and also becomes your User ID for logging in to the ACE portal.
Get help with ACE account issues
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but from what we’ve seen from the ACE system thus far, it is more than likely that you’re going to run into issues during or after account setup. In these instances, we strongly urge you to call the ACE National Help Desk at 1-866-530-4172. Here’s how to speed through the automated phone prompts.
- For login/password support: Press 1 (ACE support), then 1 again (password support).
- For all other support questions: Press 1 (ACE support), then 2 (trade support).
Additional Info
The Quick Reference Guide mentioned above also includes instructions for
- How to login for the first time as an ACE Portal user
- How to request EIN data on AES Export Reports
Video walkthroughs are also available for
- How to request a new ACE export account
- Requesting an ACE Portal exporter account for existing users
- Requesting access to EIN data for ACE Portal export account
Don’t be left in the dark when the pull the plug on AESDirect and AESPcLink. Establish you ACE export account now, ahead of the transition timeline, to avoid the loss of your ability to file your own EEI.