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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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Foundations

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Standards

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Flagship messages

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Tools

X12 356 — U.S. Customs Permit to Transfer Request

The 356 requests a US CBP permit to transfer (PTT) — authorization to move bonded freight between two bonded locations — from a carrier or broker.

Purpose

The 356 documents a PTT request: nature of freight, BL, container, source and destination locations, transfer reason (consolidation, examination, repositioning). It is required before any movement of non-cleared cargo between two Centralized Examination Stations or bonded warehouses.

It triggers a 350 (Customs Status) in reply with the decision. Acknowledged by 997. Central actor of in-bond movement and Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) management.

Envelope structure

The 356 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group PR, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-356.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*BONDEDCARRIER *ZZ*USCBP         *260515*1330*U*00401*000000356*0*P*>~
GS*PR*BONDEDCARRIER*USCBP*20260515*1330*1*X*004010~
ST*356*0001~
M10*USCBP*R*PTT-2026-3200~
N9*BM*BL-2026-7788~
N9*EQ*MSCU1234567~
N1*FA*PORT TERMINAL APM*92*TRM-LB-001~
N1*FB*CES-LA-001*92*CES-LA-001~
NTE*ZZ*EXAM-RELOCATION~
DTM*036*20260516~
SE*9*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000356~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, M10.
  • BL / Container reference — N9*BM, N9*EQ.
  • Origin / destination — N1*FA (From), N1*FB (To).
  • Reason — NTE*ZZ.
  • Date — DTM*036 (intended move date).
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • Bonded scope: a PTT can only be issued between two bonded locations — a non-bonded destination turns the move into a violation.
  • Bond coverage limits: the move consumes bond; a 356 exceeding the carrier customs bond cap is rejected.
  • Pre-approval timing: the PTT must be approved BEFORE the move; a 356 sent after the move violates 19 CFR 18.

Documentation

The code 356 and the name U.S. Customs Permit to Transfer Request are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.