(Monday, October 26, 2009) - Great Falls, Mont. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today that the Port of Roosville will be upgraded from a permit port to a commercial port on November 1. Roosville, located north of Eureka, will join Sweetgrass and Raymond as commercial ports in Montana.
Commercial cargo entering the United States on the northern border is normally required to enter at a commercial port. Commercial ports are equipped to process and examine a wide range of commodities.
If entering commercial merchandise through a non-commercial port, otherwise known as a permit port, importers must request and receive a permit from CBP prior to making entry. The merchandise entered at permit ports would have to be delivered to and used by communities located near the permit port.
Historically, permit ports were not fully automated and had limited facilities for conducting cargo examinations. Today, permit ports use automated systems but most still have limited ability to examine cargo. The Port of Roosville is a modern facility with equipment to scan trucks and a cargo facility for offloading and examining merchandise.
Roosville has approximately 580 active permits on file. The permit application, review, and approval process is time and labor intensive for both CBP and the importer. Converting Roosville to a commercial port will save CBP and the trade community time and money.
Great Falls Assistant Area Port Director for Trade Ross Lyle said, “It makes sense to upgrade Roosville because it is currently a 24-hour port with the staff, the equipment, and the facility to handle a significant increase in cargo volume and complexity at no additional cost to the government.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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