CBP

Question: In the past when we made changes to our importer account, ort broker submitted the 5106 without us having to complete any physical forms.   The new broker we have is asking for us to complete the 5106 saying they cannot complete it on our behalf even though they have our POA.   Isn’t the POA’s […]

Question: Importing a reagent product that will be sold to clinics and hospitals for clinical testing.   Would this be considered a retail product under US Customs regulations? Answer 1: The statute and the CBP regulations do not offer a define of what constitutes “retail” or retail trade.” When a tariff term is not defined in […]

Question: Hello: Can a licensed U.S. Customs broker clear cargo in Guam? Answer 1: The process in Guam is different than in the mainland US.  In Guam the forwarder presents the cargo documentation to Guam Customs and Quarantine agents upon arrival of the cargo and taxes are assessed.  There is no ABI communication (or similar) […]

Question: My company is importing goods that require and exemption from another government agency.  Under this condition, a Temporary Import Bond (TIB) is required.   This then requires the product to either be exported or destroyed under Customs Supervision.   I have heard from other companies they were able to get approval from certain ports to provide […]

Question: Can someone help me to get contact at the CBP I could speak to regarding the types of letters of credit they accept? Answer 1: What type of L/C are you speaking about?  Are you talking about a financial guarantee like the import bond? Call your local Port Director – all ports are listed […]

Question: We have a container of goods that are being returned to the US from China due to Chinese customs not releasing it to our customer due to a paperwork error.  It’s been several months of in fighting between Chinese customs and our customer. The product is coming back to US on a vessel due […]

QUESTION: We’ve been approached by our CEE to provide a virtual tour of sorts of our factories and products to help them understand our product and company better when questions come up on our entries.  Our relationship with our CEE (6+ years) is extremely cordial and we have seen the benefits of this partnership so […]

QUESTION: I understand that Customs may inspect any shipment entering the USA, but I’ve had a shipment on inspection hold now for 14 days. We will be in breach of contract with our customer if we cannot deliver soon. Is there any avenue available where I can at least state my case, as a responsible […]

QUESTION: The issue of how we report quantities to US Customs came up today when we ship boxes or containers that contain 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 individual pieces. For example, HS Code 7013.22.2000, lead crystal stemware drinking glasses, has a reporting quantity of No. A lot times we ship in 1 box but […]

QUESTION: We all know that Customs expects imports to have implemented adequate internal controls such as control environment, risk assessments, etc., in order to exercise reasonable care, avoid penalties, get into the ISA program, etc. When I go to find here on Customs website these elements (five?) are actually listed, it is incredibly difficult to […]