If you are planning to move home to the USA then you need to be aware that the US Government routinely releases personal details (Personally Identifiable Information – PII) on the internet.
This is the personal information that must be provided to US Customs to clear household goods shipments. This is normal procedure and can only be prevented by completing and submitting a Confidentiality Request well in advance to prevent this happening.
Once released into the public domain, this personal information (which can include passport details and social security number etc) are available for anyone to access. So if you are moving to the USA and wish to protect your PII then it is essential to contact US Customs and Border Protection Department (CBP) as soon as possible to request confidentiality.
It may seem strange that while there is so much focus on personal details being accessed by hackers, the same details can be legally released by a government but it happens and so to prevent this anyone with a shipment of household goods moving to the USA is well advised to take steps to request confidentiality before their details are released.
The current position is explained at: Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Legislation Discussed at Recent U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee Hearing – IAM (iamovers.org) For more information visit USA Confidentiality Request – Nuss Removals or contact your chosen moving company.
We will endeavour to keep the expat community updated on important information such as this and further bulletins will be released as and when changes to this current process are legislated and made known to the public.
In the meantime and to avoid the release of any PII by the US Government and subsequent publication on the internet, we strongly recommend that you take advantage of the information above and submit a request to the US Customs and Border Protection Department for the non-disclosure and of your PII to ensure confidentiality of your personal details. The sooner you lodge this request, the better.
