QUESTION: The customs broker I use, sends us the import entry package documentation on a daily basis with the exception of the Bill of Lading for land border imports. When ask why the bill of lading is not being sent, their response is that the bill of lading is not required under the (A)(1)(a) list. […]
QUESTION: Is it required to save POD’s (Proof of Delivery) (BOLS, vehicle inspection sheets, ect.) for admission packets? ========== Answer: PODs are not required for general import record keeping purposes. Typical documents are BOL, commercial invoice, packing list, 7501 Customs Form. Others may be required if applicable such as COO, GSP statements, FTA statements, PGA […]
QUESTION: How long am I supposed to retain records for an International BOL (HBL, AWB)? The way I understand it: CBP as well as a slew of other US govt agencies say 5 years The IRS says its accounting document and needs to be held 7 years (does this only pertain to Domestic BOL’s)? BOL’s […]
QUESTION: I am curious to know what would be considered the current best practice in obtaining entry documents from your customs brokers. Curious to know what the membership is doing. CD sent on a regular cadence FTP Shared Site Pull documents from broker’s portal Email Other ========== Answers: We currently receive clearance docs via email, […]
QUESTION: The customs broker I use, sends us the import entry package documentation on a daily basis with the exception of the Bill of Lading for land border imports. When ask why the bill of lading is not being sent, their response is that the bill of lading is not required under the (A)(1)(a) list. […]
QUESTION: Is it required to save POD’s (Proof of Delivery) (BOLS, vehicle inspection sheets, ect.) for admission packets? ========== Answer:PODs are not required for general import record keeping purposes.Typical documents are BOL, commercial invoice, packing list, 7501 Customs Form. Others may be required if applicable such as COO, GSP statements, FTA statements, PGA claims, etc.
QUESTION: A US company (A) buys from a US vendor (B) , who drop ships to the end customer (C) on behalf of the US company (A). The export is to Canada, so no AES filing is required. The vendor (B) ships to the end customer (C) under DDP terms, then bills the GST back […]
QUESTION: For Import (Customs) Recordkeeping requirements under 19 CFR 163.5(b) and “alternate forms of storage”, when electronic versions are mentioned they are outdated methods such as microfiche, CDs, & machine readable. Can the Membership share what “electronic methods” are practical and meet Customs requirements? I know that emails are not sufficient, but would like to […]
QUESTION: Company X (IOR) has not kept Customs Entry Docs for the past 5 years. Company X claims that as long as the Customs Broker retains all Docs, they do not need to hold such Customs Records for the 5 year period because 1.) the broker could retrieve any entry docs within a 30 day period […]
QUESTION: Our company is going to rename various legal entities in the US, Canada, and EU. I was informed that once we rename the company name in our ERP system, we cannot reproduce the ERP shipping document as original. If I get the audit and reprint the document from our ERP, it will show the […]
QUESTION: I sent a letter to CBP on November 12 to request an alternate digital method of recordkeeping beginning December 15 since the regulations While most of our records are received electronically, we have a few that documents that are sent as paper originals. These are mainly endorsed Bills of Lading that we need to […]
QUESTION: We receive our records from our Brokers as hardcopy and store them for 5+ years based on the Recordkeeping requirements. If we switch to FTP (have our Brokers upload our documents directly to us electronically), do we need to apply for Alternative Method of Storage? %%%%%%%%%% ANSWERS: No, I would retain them simply in […]
