Welcome to the USDA/AMS/CEB CEMS Portal!

Our new website for filing for an SC-6 Exemption

How to create your business profile in the CEMS Portal:

If you are a NEW user you will be required to obtain a Level 1 eAuthentication account. If you 

are a NEW user please refer to the eAuthentication instructions provided. The link to obtain a 

Level 1 eAuthentication account is provided on the landing screen. (see Black arrow above)

If you are and EXISTING USER who previously used the MOLS system and have your 

username and password you may proceed into the CEMS portal to set up your business profile. 

You do not need a new eAuthentication account.

1.) On this page click on “Login to CEMS”. (see Red arrow above)

2.) Fill in all fields to complete your business profile

3.) In the “Role Selection” area there is a drop down box. (See illustration below) 

4.) Whether you are a shipper/broker or receiver/processor you will need to complete the 

registration using the following steps:
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a. If you are a FIRST TIME USER in the CEMS Portal you will input the name of 

the organization and complete the contact information for the business in the 

fields indicated.

b. If you are a prior MOLS user, select the option to be associated with an 

organization. 

c. If your company has an account and you are an additional user, select to be 

associated with an organization.

d. When you select to be associated with an organization, select an organization 

from the drop down box as illustrated below.

5.) After you have completed filling in all information click on the box that says “I agree to 

the USDA Privacy Policy. (There is a link for the Privacy Policy in the dark green area.)
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6.) There will be a field that appears for you to insert their typed signature. Type in your 

signature. This will serve as your electronic signature when you verify the information 

you are submitting is true and accurate. After you have done this click, “Submit”.

7.) Both the shipper and receiver are required to be registered in the system to create an SC-6

exemption certificate. It is important that the receiver register prior to the shipper 

attempting to create an SCV-6 exemption certificate, as the shipper will be selecting the 

receiver from a drop down box to find the receiver. 

8.) The system will send a notification e-mail to MOAD and we will process your request for 

the role requested.

THIS COMPLETES THE REGISTRATION FOR A SINGLE ROLE USER.

For those limited organizations that would like to request a DUAL ROLE, to be a shipper/broker 

and a receiver/processor:

1.) On the left side of the page there is the title in all caps “OPERATION LINKS”. (see 

below for example of screen)

a. Click on “Change Registration Role”

b. Click in the box “Request for Dual Role”

c. Click “Submit”
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2.) This will send an e-mail to MOAD for approval. Prior to granting approval the company 

needs to be researched and confirmed to be a legitimate processing company. After 

submission of your request you will receive an e-mail requesting proper documentation 

(as listed below) to be approved as a processing company.

3.) Brokers, or repacking or wholesale distributing firms, are not valid receivers.

4.) You should note that the USDA, AMS’s SC-6 form is not to be used to establish product 

origin. This is not the proper use for the form.

5.) In addition, merely selling or transferring the product to a re-packer or broker is not

valid use of this form. The receiving firm must be the firm that will be processing or 

otherwise using the product in an exempted manner.

6.) Once your company has submitted one of the below forms of documentation to validate

your company as a processor, MOAD will review the documentation and process your 

request accordingly. If you do not provide the appropriate documentation to validate 

your processing request, your request will be denied.

Below are a list of documents accepted by the USDA to verify your company is a “processor”:

1.) USDA establishment number 

2.) FDA Bioterrorism number

3.) SQF certification (Safe Quality Food)

4.) BRC certification (British Retail Consortium)

How the system works: 

When the registration process has been completed and the shipper has completed the process of 

“Requesting an SC-6”, an email will be sent to the receiver informing them that an exemption 

certificate has been granted and that they should visit the CEMS portal to complete their portion 

of the form. It is at this time the receiver/processor must verify the weight received in the field 

indicated, affirm the information is true and submit the information. The record will only 

process if the weight is complete. If it does not process, the weight does not match what the 

shipper/broker input into the system and will not reconcile. If your shipment does not reconcile, 

and close out, you will be contacted by a member of the Compliance and Enforcement Branch to 

inquire what the discrepancy was and how it occurred. 

Violations of the use of the CEMS Portal will result in your access being revoked. 

BENEFITS OF THE NEW CEMS PORTAL

There are many new options available in CEMS when filing an SC-6 form. Some of the 

improvements offered by the CEMS portal include:

• The biggest improvement is the ability for those who serve as both shipper and receiver 

can file in the system, which they could not do previously. However, this will require 
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thorough review and verification by MOAD if the company was not previously known 

by MOAD to serve in both capacities. 

• Shippers who want to file utilizing MO3 can go into the new portal and create SC-6

forms in advance. They also have the ability to edit or void a certificate as long as it has 

not been submitted. If a shipper wishes to complete the SC-6 form in advance of the 

filing, you will use an MO3 message set to file in the ACE Portal through Customs and 

Border Protection (CBP). When filing an MO3 message set, you will manually enter the 

SC-6 certificate number while filing.

• Shippers who wish to use the MO4 message set option will not have to create an SC-6 in 

CEMS, as it will be completed in the ACE system. CEMS will issue a shipper or 

receiver number upon registration in the CEMS Portal. Customers can use that number 

to create an SC-6 certificate in ACE.

• Whether a shipper files in ACE using an MO3 or MO4 message set, the receiver will 

need to log into the CEMS Portal to report receipt of the shipment to send a message 

back to CBP that will notify the shipper that the transaction is complete. 

• The CEMS portal allows multiple individuals to be associated with an “Organization 

View,” which means anyone within the same organization can create the exemption 

certificate or receive the shipment. This allows an organization’s account to remain open 

even after an employee leaves.