X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 355 Customs Acceptance/Rejection

The X12 document customs uses to report errors and discrepancies found in the customs transaction sets carriers and terminals submit.

Sent by
Customs authority
Received by
Ocean carrier, terminal operator, port authority or service center
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 355?

The EDI 355 Customs Acceptance/Rejection is the ANSI X12 transaction set customs uses to report errors and discrepancies discovered in the customs transaction sets submitted by ocean carriers, terminal operators, port authorities and service centers.

It is the customs equivalent of an application advice: it tells the filer which manifest records or other submissions were rejected and why. Because filings have regulatory deadlines, rejected records must be corrected and resubmitted quickly, often before the vessel arrives. Common error types include missing or invalid parties, codes and references.

How the EDI 355 worksDiagram of the EDI 355 Customs Acceptance/Rejection. Customs authority sends it to ocean carrier, terminal operator, port authority or service center. It usually follows 309. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: M10 (Manifest Identifying Information) and the required P4 loop with P4 (Port Information) and detail: K3 (File Information). 3 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 355 worksCustoms Acceptance/Rejection: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS309Customs ManifestEDI 355SENDERCustoms authorityRECEIVEROcean carrier, terminaloperator, port authorityor service center997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code AZGS … GETransaction set 355ST … SEHEADINGM10Manifest Identifying InformationRequired loop P4 · repeats up to 20P4Port Information+ 3 optional loops, starting with:VEHNM1LXDETAILK3File InformationBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 355. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 355 worksDiagram of the EDI 355 Customs Acceptance/Rejection. Customs authority sends it to ocean carrier, terminal operator, port authority or service center. It usually follows 309. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: M10 (Manifest Identifying Information) and the required P4 loop with P4 (Port Information) and detail: K3 (File Information). 3 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 355 worksCustoms Acceptance/Rejection: who sends it,where it fits and what the standard marksrequired1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS309Customs ManifestEDI 355SENDERCustomsauthorityRECEIVEROcean carrier,terminaloperator, portauthority orservice center997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code AZ (GS … GE)Transaction set 355 (ST … SE)HEADINGM10Manifest IdentifyingInformationRequired loop P4 · repeats up to20P4Port Information+ 3 optional loops, starting with:VEHNM1LXDETAILK3File InformationBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 355. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 355, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 355 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Reporting rejected manifest records
  • Reporting discrepancies in other customs filings
  • Confirming acceptance where the customs guide provides for it

Where it fits in the document flow

Usually follows 309 Customs Manifest
This document 355 Customs Acceptance/Rejection
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 355 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • M10
  • VEH
  • M7
  • CII
  • NM1
  • DMG
  • REF
  • N3
  • N4
  • P4
  • LX
  • M13
  • M11
  • N9
  • N1
  • PER
  • X1
  • M12
  • R4
  • M21
  • M14
  • M15
  • M20
  • VID
  • MBL
  • VC
  • N10
  • H1
  • H2
  • K3
  • SE

Practical example

The 355 in practice

A carrier files a 309 manifest for 400 bills of lading. Customs returns a 355 rejecting three bills, two for missing consignee details and one for an invalid port code. The carrier's documentation team corrects and refiles them the same day, well before the filing deadline.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 355

  • Route rejections to the people who can correct the filing, with the reason codes.
  • Correct and resubmit within regulatory deadlines.
  • Track rejection reasons to fix recurring data problems at the source.
  • Follow the customs authority's implementation guide for error codes.

Need help with the EDI 355?

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