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X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 601 Customs Export Shipment Information

The X12 document exporters, their agents, carriers and service providers use to transmit export shipment information to customs.

Sent by
Exporter, freight forwarder or carrier
Received by
Customs authority
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 601?

The EDI 601 Customs Export Shipment Information is the ANSI X12 transaction set exporters or their agents, carriers and service providers use to transmit export shipment information to customs agencies. It carries the exporter, consignee, commodities with their classifications and values, and the transport details.

Export filings support trade statistics and export control enforcement. In the United States, export information is filed electronically before departure; filers should follow the current requirements and formats published by the authorities, which have changed over the years.

How the EDI 601 worksDiagram of the EDI 601 Customs Export Shipment Information. Exporter, freight forwarder or carrier sends it to customs authority. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 350 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: the required BA1 loop with BA1 (Export Shipment Identifying Information) and the required N1 loop with N1 (Party Identification). 1 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 601 worksCustoms Export Shipment Information: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 601SENDERExporter, freightforwarder or carrierRECEIVERCustoms authority997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY350Customs StatusInformation997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code SEGS … GETransaction set 601ST … SEHEADINGRequired loop BA1 · repeats up to 999BA1Export Shipment Identifying InformationRequired loop N1 · repeats up to 10N1Party Identification+ 1 optional loop, starting with:L13Blue 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 601. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 601 worksDiagram of the EDI 601 Customs Export Shipment Information. Exporter, freight forwarder or carrier sends it to customs authority. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 350 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: the required BA1 loop with BA1 (Export Shipment Identifying Information) and the required N1 loop with N1 (Party Identification). 1 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 601 worksCustoms Export Shipment Information: whosends it, where it fits and what the standardmarks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 601SENDERExporter, freightforwarder orcarrierRECEIVERCustomsauthority997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY350Customs Status Information997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code SE (GS … GE)Transaction set 601 (ST … SE)HEADINGRequired loop BA1 · repeats up to999BA1Export ShipmentIdentifying InformationRequired loop N1 · repeats upto 10N1Party Identification+ 1 optional loop, starting with:L13Blue 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 601. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 601, 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 601 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

  • Filing export shipment information before departure
  • Correcting or cancelling an export filing
  • Reporting export data on behalf of an exporter

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 601 Customs Export Shipment Information
Usually followed by 350 Customs Status Information997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 601 (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
  • BA1
  • N1
  • L13
  • SE

Practical example

The 601 in practice

A machinery exporter ships a press to Brazil. Its forwarder files the export information with the exporter's details, the consignee, the commodity classification, value and weight, the port of export and the carrier. Customs returns a confirmation number, which the forwarder gives the carrier before the cargo is loaded.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 601

  • Follow the current filing requirements and formats of the customs authority.
  • Classify commodities correctly; errors can bring penalties.
  • File before the deadline for each mode of transport.
  • Keep the confirmation with the shipment records.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 601 with ECOM

Industry

Trucking and Transportation

Load tenders, responses, status and freight invoices for carriers, brokers and shippers, integrated with the TMS.

Industry

Industrial Manufacturing

Distributor, OEM customer and supplier integration for industrial manufacturers.

Solution

EDI Integration

Exchange X12 and EDIFACT documents with partners and integrate them directly with your ERP.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

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