As of January 2009, all ships carrying cargo to the United States are required to submit an Import Security Filing, which is also called a “10+2,” to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency at least 24 hours before the cargo is even loaded on the ship that’s destined for the U.S. This can be a hassle, especially when you’re trying to run an import business and have many other concerns to worry about. Fortunately, this ISF filing link can help you file these documents online to avoid these penalties.
Filing Requirements
To file an ISF document online, you must be a legal U.S. entity with a legal U.S. address. Otherwise, you must hire a broker to file on your behalf. Filing a 10+2 yourself can save you both time and money, since you won’t have to pay a broker fee and the processing time will be quicker. Additionally, you must also have in your possession a bill of lading and commercial invoice, international classification HTS 6-digit numbers for all your products, and if your cargo is valued at $2,500 or more, a single or continuous customs bond.
If you meet these requirements, you are ready to file online and the process is straightforward and easy to understand. The fee to file online through this link is just $10, which is well worth the convenience of being able to do this task on your own from any web-enabled device. Even if you don’t have a bond yet, you can purchase one during the ISF filing process, enabling you to start your filing while waiting for your customs bond to be issued.
Mandatory Filing Fields
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency requires up to 17 data elements on an ISF, but five of these are for transit cargo, which is not supported by this link. The online link is for filing ISFs for imports only, so using the online ISF filing link, there are 12 mandatory fields that you’ll need to fill out to complete your filing. These fields are the following:
- EIN (employee identification number) or SSN (social security number) and address of the importer
- Consignee number
- Buyer name and address
- Ship to party name and address
- Manufacturer or supplier
- Seller name and address
- Container stuffing location
- Consolidator
- Country of origin
- Commodity HTS (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) code number (first six digits)
- Master bill of lading number
- House bill of lading number (if applicable)
Penalties for Improper Filing
As with all laws, there are penalties for not complying. In this case, if you miss the deadline to file an ISF, or you file an incomplete document, you could be fined $5,000 per violation. Furthermore, if a ship full of cargo shows up in a U.S. port and an ISF has not been filed, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency can prevent the release or transfer of the goods on board. If you decide to unload the goods anyway, they become subject to seizure and you may be issued a “do not load” order at your ship’s place of origin.
Conclusion
An ISF is an important tool for protecting the U.S. from unauthorized imports that could be dangerous to the country. While it might seem like just another bureaucratic process you have to follow to get your imports on shore, this ISF filing link makes compliance quick and easy.
