Importer Security Filing: Mandatory Bond Requirement

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ABC Customs Brokers Dec 18, 2014

Are your Importer Security Filing (ISF) submissions completed on time and accurately with every transaction? Full enforcement of Importer Security Filing (ISF) has been in effect since July 2013, and yet there are still many ocean shipments entering the United States with late or missing filings. We have not been able to secure statistics or numbers on this, however we are aware that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun issuing penalties for shortcomings such as failure to file, late filing, or inaccurate filings starting at US$5,000.

What has changed?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has just announced via the Cargo System Messaging Service (CSMS) that, effective January 10, 2015, these late ISF submissions will no longer be exempt from the bond requirements, as has been allowed to date.  Most ISF transactions will require a bond at the time of filing.

Impact on Importers:

For those importers who have been working hard to remain in compliance with these regulations and already have the appropriate bond on file with U.S. Customs, there should be no impact from this new layer of enforcement.

For importers who do not have a bond on file with U.S. Customs, there is an expectation of additional delays and expenses, in addition to the possibility of difficulties in finding agents willing to work with a non-compliant importer. With this added layer of enforcement of the ISF regulations, we fully expect to see a dramatic increase in the number of penalties being issued

ABC Customs Brokers has published a number of blog articles over the past few years on this issue, that can be found at the end of this post.  If your company imports goods into the United States via ocean, we urge you to ensure that your business is complying with the requirements in this area and that you do have an ISF bond on file with U.S. Customs.

The Importer’s Responsibility:

While it is likely that most steamship companies will issue Do Not Load orders for shipments from known importers, they are not required by law to do so.  It is the Importer of Record’s responsibility to ensure that this filing is completed on time and accurately.

How we can help?

ABC Customs Brokers offers Importer Security Filing services, in addition to customs clearances of ocean import freight into any port in the U.S. and Canada.  We are always pleased to answer any concerns you may have regarding this matter.

Additional articles:

• FAQs: Importer Security Filing “10 +2” Program