Reference

Customs clearance, document by document

Customs clearance is not one form. It is a chain of declarations, documents and money that starts before the goods arrive. This reference explains each link in plain language and points to the official source to confirm the current rule.

Clearance is a release decision, not a delivery

Customs releases goods when the declaration, the documents and the duty payment satisfy the destination authority. Release can happen before arrival or after an examination. It does not mean the parcel is on a truck to the buyer, and it does not mean the importer has finished every permit or product-compliance obligation.

For a seller, the useful mental model is: who is the importer of record, who files, what value is declared, what code is used, and who pays duty and import tax. Every delay usually comes from one of those four answers being wrong or missing.

Documents are checked against each other

The invoice, packing list and transport document must describe the same shipment. A mismatch in quantity, weight, description or value is a standard trigger for a document review. Vague descriptions such as "gift" or "sample" without a real product name and value invite questions.

Keep one master shipment file with the commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, origin evidence, product certificates and the customs response. When a hold happens, the broker who can produce that file fastest usually resolves it fastest.

All entries

Customs clearance — what it actually isThe process that turns an arriving shipment into legally imported goods: declaration, documents, duty, tax and release. Customs broker — role and limitsA licensed or registered intermediary who files declarations for the importer, but does not automatically take on the duty liability. Customs entry — the declarationThe formal declaration of goods, value, code, origin and duty treatment that customs accepts or queries. Commercial invoice — the core customs documentThe seller's invoice to the buyer, used by customs to verify value, parties, goods, terms and origin. Packing list — cartons, weights and marksThe carton-level inventory that lets customs, the carrier and the warehouse find and check the goods. Bill of lading and airway billThe carrier's document for the cargo: contract of carriage, receipt and, for ocean, a document of title. Certificate of origin — proving where goods were madeEvidence that goods meet an origin rule, used for preferential duty, quotas, marking and trade statistics. Customs bond — the US guaranteeA US customs bond guarantees payment of duties, taxes and potential penalties; it is not a prepayment of duty. Importer Security Filing (10+2)The US advance cargo data rule for ocean shipments: ten importer data elements plus two carrier elements. Customs hold and examinationA document review or physical inspection that pauses release, often while storage and demurrage costs accumulate. Customs value — what duty is calculated onThe value customs uses to calculate duty, usually the transaction value with specified additions and deductions. Duty drawback and refundsA refund mechanism for duties paid on imported goods that are later exported, subject to strict documentation and deadlines.

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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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.

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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.

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