Requesting confidential treatment of your vessel manifest data is one of the rare pieces of customs housekeeping that is genuinely free, genuinely fast, and genuinely worth doing. The catch is not cost or difficulty — it is a handful of small details that, done wrong, quietly leave your data exposed even after you thought you had protected it. This guide walks through the filing, the one mistake that sinks the most requests, and the renewal schedule that catches people off guard.
If you have not yet read why this matters, start with our companion piece on what vessel manifest confidentiality protects and who is reading your import data. This article assumes you have decided to file and focuses on doing it correctly.
Who Can File
The request is available to the parties named on the manifest whose identities are at stake: importers and consignees, and shippers. If you are the U.S. company receiving the goods, you are the consignee and you can file. A point worth flagging up front — if your business imports under more than one name or through related entities, each name that appears on manifests needs to be covered, or the uncovered ones stay public. Confidentiality attaches to the names you request, not to your corporate family as a whole.
Online, Not by Mail
For years this was a paper process — a letter mailed to CBP that took weeks to process. That has changed. CBP now offers an online application for vessel manifest confidentiality, and it is dramatically faster: online requests are generally processed within about 24 hours, rather than the 60 to 90 days the old paper route once took. The paper method still exists as a fallback, but there is little reason to use it. The online portal is the default path, and the speed means your protection takes effect almost immediately.
How to File, Step by Step
- Pull your exact ACE nameFind your company name precisely as it is recorded in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). This is the single most important preparation step — see the warning below.
- Access CBP’s online applicationUse CBP’s Electronic Vessel Manifest Confidentiality online application. Have your identifying details and the names of any related entities ready.
- Enter the parties to protectList the importer/consignee (and shipper) names and addresses you want withheld. Include every name variant and related entity that appears on your manifests.
- Submit and confirmSubmit the request and retain the confirmation. Processing is typically quick — on the order of a day for online filings.
- Calendar the expirationThe moment it is granted, note the two-year expiration date and set a reminder to renew ahead of it. This is where most lapses happen.
The One Mistake That Sinks Requests
The name must match ACE exactly — character for character
The most common reason a confidentiality request fails to fully protect a company is a name that does not exactly match how it appears in ACE. “ABC Imports Inc.” and “ABC Imports, Inc.” are different strings; a missing comma, an abbreviated “Corp” versus “Corporation,” or a dropped “LLC” can mean the manifests filed under the real name are not the ones your request covers.
Before you file, confirm the precise spelling, punctuation, and formatting of your name as entered in ACE, and mirror it exactly. If your goods enter under several name variants, each variant must be requested. An almost-right name leaves the door open.
This is not a technicality CBP invented to trip filers up — it is inherent to how the protection works. The system withholds manifests matching the protected name. If the name on the manifest and the name on your request are not the same string, the match fails and the data flows through. Getting this exactly right is the whole game.
What the Request Covers
A granted request covers the identifying party information across the manifest — the name and address fields for the protected parties, spanning the relevant data elements on both inward and outward vessel manifests. The protection is national: it applies at all ports of entry, not just the one where you happen to file or import most. You do not need a separate request for each port.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free |
| Processing time | About 24 hours online (versus 60–90 days by paper) |
| Validity | Two years from the date processed |
| Coverage | All U.S. ports of entry |
| Name requirement | Must match the ACE record exactly |
| Renewal lead time | Submit 60–90 days before expiration |
Keeping It Active: The Renewal Nobody Remembers
Confidentiality is not permanent. It lasts two years, and when it expires, the protection simply stops — your manifests go public again, usually without any alarm bells. Countless companies filed once, moved on, and never realized their protection quietly lapsed years ago. Their data has been flowing to the brokers ever since.
The fix is a calendar entry. CBP’s guidance is to submit renewal requests roughly 60 to 90 days before the expiration date, which leaves a comfortable buffer for processing so there is no gap in coverage. Treat manifest confidentiality like any other recurring compliance obligation with an expiration — a bond, a registration — and put the renewal on the same tracking system you use for those. The two-year clock is the easiest part of this to get wrong, precisely because nothing prompts you when it runs out.
What Filing Does Not Do
Two honest limits are worth stating so expectations are right. First, the protection is forward-looking — it does not scrub shipment records already published before your request took effect, which is a reason to file promptly rather than wait. Second, it protects the parties you name; it will not cover a related entity, a new subsidiary, or a name variant you did not include. As your corporate structure changes, the confidentiality filing has to keep up, which means revisiting it when you add entities or import under new names.
None of that diminishes the value — it just means the filing rewards a little care. For a company with multiple import names, or one that simply wants the request handled correctly and tracked for renewal alongside its other import compliance obligations, a customs and international trade lawyer can file it, cover every relevant entity, and make sure it never silently lapses. And if you have not yet decided whether you need it, our overview of what manifest confidentiality protects lays out the exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I file a vessel manifest confidentiality request?
Use CBP’s online Electronic Vessel Manifest Confidentiality application. You provide your company name and address exactly as they appear in ACE, along with any related entity names to protect. The request is free and is typically processed within about 24 hours.
Why do requests get rejected or fail to protect a company?
The most common reason is a name that does not exactly match the ACE record. Because the protection works by matching the name on the manifest to the name on your request, a punctuation difference or abbreviation can leave manifests filed under the real name unprotected. Confirm the exact ACE spelling and formatting before filing.
How long does manifest confidentiality last?
Two years from the date the request is processed. It covers all ports of entry. To avoid a lapse, submit a renewal roughly 60 to 90 days before the expiration date, since the protection simply stops when it expires.
Do I need a separate request for each port?
No. A granted request applies nationally, at all U.S. ports of entry. You do need to cover every company name and related entity that appears on your manifests, but not every port separately.
Want it filed right and tracked for renewal?
The exact-match rule and the two-year clock are where these go wrong. A customs attorney can file across all your entities and keep the protection from lapsing.