As with any overseas market, it is essential to understand the relevant information and take the necessary measures when importing goods into the United States. This includes deciding how to handle tariffs and taxes at checkout, ensuring you have the correct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) import documents, ensuring your goods are not subject to embargoes or import restrictions, and so on. Our basic import process guide provides a detailed overview of these steps.
All items imported into the United States and remaining in the United States (such as gifts) must be truthfully declared on the U.S. customs declaration form, indicating the quantity and approximate value. It must be filled out truthfully, otherwise you may get into trouble—at best, your items may be confiscated; at worst, you may be fined and banned from entering the country. Personal items do not need to be declared on the U.S. customs declaration form—all items imported into the United States that are not for sale or gift purposes.
What is a customs declaration?
A customs declaration form is an official legal document completed by individual operators and legal entities when importing or exporting goods. It provides detailed information about the imported or exported goods, enabling customs officials to be aware of the quantity and value of the goods and that they are in transit. This information helps calculate customs duties in accordance with relevant customs regulations and facilitates the completion of customs clearance procedures.
Why is a customs declaration required?
Legal and regulatory requirements: According to the laws and regulations of the importing and exporting countries, imported and exported goods must be declared to customs to ensure that all import and export activities comply with national laws and regulations.
Supervision and security: Customs is the national supervisory and regulatory authority for entry and exit. Customs declarations allow for the adequate supervision of imported and exported goods, prevent smuggling, tax evasion, and other illegal activities, and safeguard national security and the safety of people’s lives and property.
Maintaining market order: Customs declarations help prevent counterfeit and shoddy goods from entering the market and safeguard market order and consumer rights.
Promote trade facilitation: By declaring relevant information about goods to the customs in advance, the customs can conduct risk assessment and classified management in advance, improve customs clearance efficiency, reduce the detention time of goods at ports, and reduce the logistics and time costs of enterprises.
Statistics on trade data: Customs use customs declaration data to analyse import and export trade, providing a basis for the government to formulate relevant policies.
Collection of customs duties and import taxes: Customs must collect customs duties and import taxes on imported goods based on their customs value. The customs declaration is an important basis for customs duty collection.
Related:What is customs duties: What They Mean and Why They Matter
What information is needed to complete the customs declaration form?
Currency.
Type (e.g. gift or product sample).
Number of products in the shipment.
Country – ISO country code of the country of origin.
Related:What is a certificate of origin? How to obtain a certificate of origin
Content – description of the content.
Tariff code.
Unit weight.
Unit value – total value of the entire shipment.
US Customs Declaration Main Content
Customs Declaration: Submitting a customs declaration to customs is the first step in import clearance. The usual method is to choose regular customs clearance (Formal Entry), which can now be submitted online through the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) system.
Goods information: Customs will calculate the customs duties according to the tariff law and trade agreements based on the goods information declared. Importers need to ensure that the goods information on the customs declaration is accurate, including detailed information such as the characteristics, purpose and material of the goods, to avoid vague and general descriptions.
Customs duty: Customs calculates the customs duty based on the information provided in the declaration. The importer is responsible for paying the corresponding customs duty, which can be paid by bank transfer or electronic payment.
Documentation: Complete documentation is required for imported goods, including export documents, purchase contracts, invoices, bills of lading, packing lists, etc., verified by customs.
Certification: In some cases, imported goods also require inspection, quarantine certificates, and relevant certifications.
Related:Navigating HongOcean: Simplifying Customs Fees from China to the US
Customs clearance process for goods imported from the USA
Receive delivery notification and prepare customs clearance documents: When the goods arrive at the destination port, the freight company will notify the importer or customs broker to prepare the required documents.
Submit customs declaration to customs: Submit the customs declaration, including detailed cargo information, through the online system.
Customs inspection: Customs will verify the submitted information and conduct a risk assessment of the goods, which may result in an inspection.
Payment of customs duties: Customs duties are calculated based on the goods information declared, and the importer must pay the corresponding customs duties.
Release of goods and collection: After confirming that the customs declaration information is correct, the goods have passed inspection, and the customs duties have been paid, customs will release the goods in the ACE system, and the importer can collect the goods from the port or airport warehouse.
Follow-up processing: After customs clearance is complete, the importer or customs broker must file and store the documents, and customs may conduct another compliance check on the goods.
Related:Mastering Custom Clearance Document: Essential You Need for Smooth Shipping
If you’re looking for more info on the China-to-US trade relationship, click on the link below:
- How to Choose Best Freight Forwarder China to US
- Shipping Routes from China to Usa
- how much for air freight from china to los angeles
- HongOcean: Your Gateway to cheapest shipping from china to usa
