US customs clearance, and what it means for your shipment

The United States is the lane with the most paperwork, and the one where a missing filing costs the most time. The American border is a paperwork border: very little is forbidden outright, but a great deal is held because a filing was late, absent, or made by the wrong party. An entry has to be in before the cargo arrives, not after - and household effects, commercial goods and vehicles are each treated differently.

What we do

We prepare and file the export side ourselves, with our own brokers at Piraeus and at the airport, and we work with a customs broker at the destination on the import entry. Whether you are moving a household, sending goods to a customer or shipping a car, the same department here follows it to the end, so you have one person to ask rather than a chain of them.

Things to watch out for

• The ISF 10+2 is filed before loading at Piraeus, not before arrival in America. By the time a container is approaching a US port it is far too late. This is the single most common reason a shipment is held.
• Every entry needs a customs bond behind it and an importer number. Commercial cargo needs an EIN, or a number CBP assigns on Form 5106. No bond, no number, no entry.
• Form 3299 asks how long you owned and used the goods abroad. Anything bought shortly before departure is declared separately, because it is treated differently - and an undeclared new item calls the whole form into question.
• Commercial food is a separate regime entirely. The producing facility must be registered with the FDA and carry a DUNS number, Prior Notice must be given before arrival, and an FSVP importer must be named. Miss any one and the consignment sits at the port of entry.
• Vehicles answer to the EPA and NHTSA, not just to CBP - emissions and safety, on the 3520-1 and HS-7 declarations.
• We do not carry alcohol, tobacco or firearms inside a household consignment. Please do not pack them.
• Timber crates need certified heat treatment or fumigation. Ours are treated as a matter of course.

Official sources

Check these directly rather than taking anyone’s summary, including ours - the rules change, and only the regulator’s own page is current.

• CBP - Form 3299, Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles: the personal effects form.
• CBP - Importer Security Filing ‘10+2’: who files, what, and when.
• CBP - Bonds: the security that stands behind an entry.
• CBP - Create/Update Importer Identity Form (CBP Form 5106): how an importer number is created, and where an EIN fits.
• CBP - Importing a Car: the vehicle process end to end.
• FDA - Registration of Food Facilities, with the biennial renewal guide, which records that the DUNS number is accepted as the unique facility identifier.
• FDA - Prior Notice of Imported Foods: notice to the FDA in advance of arrival.
• FDA - FSVP final rule: the importer’s verification duty for food.
• EPA - Importing Vehicles and Engines and NHTSA - Importing a Vehicle: emissions and safety, and the 3520-1 and HS-7 declarations.

The competent authorities are U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for customs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food, and the EPA with NHTSA for vehicles. Duties and other import charges are assessed and collected by CBP.

Other documents or procedures may be required, and each country’s laws can change without notice. Call +30 210 64 66 400 or email info@kanga.gr and we will give you an up-to-date briefing for your own shipment.