Reference

Customs setup and duty programmes

The basic broker email covers duty and VAT. These pages cover the identifiers and programmes that decide whether the entry is accepted, valued correctly and eligible for a lower rate. They are written for the seller who signs the customs documents, not for the broker who files them.

Customs is a documentation system

The rate on the tariff line is only one input. The entry also depends on who is importing, how the goods are valued, which programme applies and whether the origin can be proved. A missing identifier or an unsupported origin claim can change the duty after the goods arrive.

Each page separates three things: the decision, the evidence needed to support it, and the official source. A broker can file the entry; the importer owns the facts behind it.

Verify before the shipment, not after

Most customs corrections are expensive because they happen after arrival: storage, demurrage, amended entries and penalties. The cheap moment to check an EORI, a bond, a ruling or an origin declaration is before the supplier books the freight.

Where a rule differs by country, the page says so. Use the linked official source for the specific destination and ask a licensed broker or counsel for a binding position. Nothing here is legal or customs advice.

All entries

EORI numberAn EORI is the identifier customs uses for your business. Without one, the entry cannot be filed in your name. AEO statusAuthorised Economic Operator status can reduce checks and speed clearance. It is an audit, not a purchase. Customs bond typesA bond guarantees duty payment. One entry or a year of entries — the choice depends on frequency and exposure. Entry typesThe entry type decides the paperwork, the bond and the duty treatment. Choosing the wrong one can invalidate a relief. ISF filingThe US Importer Security Filing must be filed before ocean cargo loads. Late or inaccurate filing carries a penalty. Tariff rulingWhen the code is uncertain, a ruling gives a written answer. It takes time and is specific to the goods described. First-sale ruleUS valuation can sometimes use the first sale for export, not the price paid by the importer. The conditions are strict. Transfer pricingWhen buyer and seller are related, the price must be arm's length for tax and defensible for customs. The two tests are not identical. Anti-dumping dutyAnti-dumping duties apply to specific goods from specific countries. The rate can exceed the normal tariff and change the business case. Countervailing dutyCountervailing duties offset foreign subsidies. They are separate from anti-dumping and can apply at the same time. Tariff quotaA tariff quota allows a lower rate up to a quantity limit. Above the limit, the rate jumps. FTA originA free-trade agreement can reduce or remove duty, but only if the origin rules and the declaration are right.

Use these with

Landed Cost Calculator

Add duty, import tax, freight and handling to a goods value to get the true landed cost and per-unit cost.

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De Minimis Checker

Enter a declared value and destination to see whether duty and tax start — and where the cliff falls.

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US Import Duty Calculator

Estimate US duty from the first dollar — the $800 de minimis is suspended.

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Compliance Checker

Pick a destination and product category to see the responsible person, marking, registrations and a planning budget.

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Tell me when the rules change

De minimis thresholds, import tax rates and marketplace fee schedules move more often than most price lists. Leave an address and we will send a short note when one of the tracked markets changes.

Ask a compliance question

Free first answer by email. Tell us the destination, the product and the channel — we will point you to the rule and the official source. No obligation, no sales sequence.

Free first reply. Prefer your own mail app? rescue@openyuri.com. We store the message to reply; no marketing unless you ask.