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Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) is a voluntary supply chain security program managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). For Indian companies that manufacture and export products to the United States, CTPAT has become an important part of meeting buyer and supply chain security expectations.A CTPAT audit checks how well your facility, logistics partners, and documentation processes protect cargo from tampering, contraband, and unauthorized access. These security controls are considered across the supply chain, from your facility through transportation and up to the U.S. port of entry.Indian companies in food processing, textile manufacturing, and general manufacturing that want to work with U.S. importers may be asked to meet CTPAT-related requirements before receiving a purchase order. U.S. importers can use CTPAT requirements as part of their due diligence when assessing foreign suppliers. A prerequisite for any application is the completion of a documented security profile and a self-audit against CBP’s Minimum Security Criteria, as a lack of it accounts for more than 50% of suspended applications. Legal4sure helps Indian companies get CTPAT certification in order to ensure food safety and ethical trade practices by providing CTPAT Audit Services.
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Passing the CTPAT Audit is an organized process, which occurs in several steps, and many first time applicants do not realize the amount of preparation necessary before CBP will schedule a validation visit. Our Legal4sure specialists work with our clients in such a way that all steps are covered one-by-one, and the Minimum Security Criteria of CBP become real in the warehouse, ERP system, and contracts with suppliers. Such an approach is extremely helpful in ensuring that your business passes the audit at the first try without any deficiencies.
There are different eligibility criteria for the various groups including Importers of Record, Exporters supplying goods to U.S. Importers, Manufacturers, Consolidators and Customs Brokers.
The pre-assessment audit highlights the weaknesses in relation to the Minimum Security Criteria set forth by CBP.
CBP requires knowledge of the various entities that handle the goods in your supply chain from the raw material supplier to the last ocean or air carrier.
This document will form the basis of your application and should address cargo security measures, physical security, personnel and cyber security.
Measures such as sealing, inspections, fencing and CCTV monitoring among others need improvements before applying.
You need to demonstrate that your vendors, carriers, and agents have been vetted for security compliance, in addition to cost and quality.
It’s expected that you provide evidence of ongoing training regarding your security procedures, and not just a brief overview upon joining.
You’ll submit your formal application and security profile using the Status Verification Interface (SVI) portal.
The Supply Chain Security Specialist will examine your submission, and request clarification and additional information.
CBP performs a validation audit which may involve a physical inspection of the facility, along with an interview of some employees.
It’s highly likely that there will be some findings related to the validation audit, which will need to be addressed.
After addressing any issues, CBP will certify your organization and your partner status becomes official.
Your CTPAT status will require annual updating of the security profile and periodic revalidation for advancement to Tiers 2 and 3.
Legal4Sure has advised Indian companies who manufacture and export goods in food safety and ethical trade area with the help of certification programs that have the same level of documentation requirement as CTPAT program. Each and every client receives a separate compliance consultant as a point of contact throughout their CTPAT Certification Services journey.
We prepare the security profile and all SOPs to conform to CBP's requirements and standards in order to save time on the endless back-and-forth during initial applications.
Our consultants conduct a mock review of the facility based on the MSC criteria in order to uncover any weaknesses at a point when it is easier to correct them.
We train your facility's staff about what the Supply Chain Security Specialist is looking for during the visit.
We keep track of annual reports and develop the history of your CTPAT membership in order to upgrade your Tier level from Tier 1 to Tier 2 and then to Tier 3.
There is currently an emerging trend among many American importers who expect the overseas supplier to have a CTPAT membership before the contract is finalized, and failure to be certified means that you could easily be left out of their approved vendor list even when your products are good and competitively priced.
CTPAT participants undergo significantly fewer CBP cargo inspections compared to those without CTPAT, and incurring delays due to port inspections means that you pay demurrage and detention costs, and therefore the reduction in inspections alone could save money in terms of certification expenses.
Preparing for a CTPAT audit means creating a documentation culture that the exporter wouldn’t have otherwise developed, and through that the risk of cargo theft and smuggling becomes minimized.
main story and evidence documents for every Minimum Security criteria. Reviewers compare every future submission against it and so any inconsistency delays the entire file.
Complete list of all manufacturers, consolidators, freight forwarders and carriers with the documentation proving that they had been screened for security compliance prior to being onboarded.
Procedural instructions for seal checking and seven-point container inspection. CBP requires a document procedure not an oral one.
Floor plan of the facility depicting perimeter security, CCTV coverage, restricted areas, and access points, reviewer will use it to prepare for validation.
Background check policies for employees with access to cargo and the security awareness training program.
Password policy, system access controls and data protection policies, new cybersecurity criteria introduced by CBP.
Import/export transactions history showing stable pattern of the trading with U.S. buyers.
ISO or sedex audit standards reports, reviewers may use them as evidence and it helps to speed up the review process.
Bridging technical complexity and operational excellence across highly regulated global markets.
Supports businesses involved in U.S.-bound trade with supply-chain security assessments, security procedures, documentation, risk management and C-TPAT program preparation.
Helps food exporters and manufacturers strengthen cargo security, facility access controls, personnel security, container security and supply-chain procedures.
Supports apparel manufacturers and exporters with factory security, employee controls, cargo protection, container security and supply-chain risk management.
Addresses security controls for facilities, personnel, shipments, cargo handling, access management and supply-chain partners involved in international trade.
Helps chemical manufacturers and exporters establish security controls covering facility access, personnel, cargo, transportation and supply-chain partners.
Supports manufacturers and exporters with physical security, access controls, employee screening, cargo security and supply-chain security procedures.
Helps suppliers strengthen facility security, cargo handling, conveyance security, access controls and supply-chain partner management for U.S.-bound shipments.
Supports businesses in protecting high-value shipments through personnel security, physical security, access controls, cargo handling and supply-chain procedures.
Helps manufacturers and exporters establish security procedures for facilities, personnel, cargo, transportation and international supply-chain operations.
Supports exporters with facility security, container controls, personnel procedures, cargo protection and supply-chain partner security.
Helps manufacturers and exporters implement security controls covering employees, facilities, cargo, transportation and business partners.
Supports packaging manufacturers supplying international customers with facility security, personnel controls, cargo protection and supply-chain security measures.
Helps businesses managing international imports strengthen supplier security, shipment controls, cargo handling, partner management and supply-chain risk controls.
Supports logistics providers with security procedures covering cargo handling, personnel, facilities, transportation, documentation and supply-chain partners.
Focuses on facility access, inventory and cargo security, employee controls, visitor management, transportation security and incident procedures.
Helps carriers establish controls for conveyance security, driver and personnel procedures, cargo protection, route security and incident management.
Before working with us, most factories ask the same things. These FAQs cover what Legal4sure does and how we support you.
CTPAT audit checklist is an internal document that exporters have to go through to self-evaluate themselves based on the Minimum Security Criteria of CBP prior to application. This process is basically what a CTPAT Pre-Assessment Audit involves.
Indian exporters must have a written security profile, screened partner records, cargo security measures, and security training of their employees, all of which should be submitted via CBP’s SVI Portal. There is no fixed minimum quantity of shipments required by CBP.
The vast majority of applications are taking four to eight months before getting certified at the Tier 1 level. The time depends on whether the documents provided are complete and how quickly the deficiency report is resolved. It is usually helpful to conduct a pre-assessment.
During the CTPAT supply chain security audit, each part of the supply chain from your factory to the port of the United States will be audited, including the raw material supplier, consolidator, carrier, etc., making sure that each one satisfies the minimum security requirements.
There is meaningful overlap in physical-security, worker-safety, and documentation controls between CTPAT and sedex audit standards, which is why many exporters pursuing both coordinate the two processes. Records built for one, such as training logs, can often support the other.
Technically speaking, it is not compulsory since CBP does not make its mandatory by law but more and more US importers demand that their suppliers have CTPAT certification and hence, for many Indian exporters, it becomes a market requirement.
A CBP Supply Chain Security Specialist comes to the exporter’s facility and checks if the measures listed in his/her written profile are really implemented including inspection of CCTV cameras and interview with employees.
While a CTPAT Audit Consultant can help you document, organize the process, and prepare your staff for the validation audit, CBP demands that the profile must represent the actual operations at your facility, which means that the consultant can only advise and confirm, but cannot help create fake compliance for you. Our CTPAT Audit Services stay engaged until the first annual renewal.
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