IMPORT TARIFFS - LATEST NEWS & UPDATES
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If you’re new to importing, you might be wondering if you’ll need a customs broker to bring new goods into the country. While customs brokers provide businesses with vital support in their importing endeavors it’s not entirely clear if they’re required for importing. That’s what we’re going to help you find out.
Key takeaways:
In this article, we will discuss the services customs brokers provide and provide you with more information on when you’ll need one.
According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there is no legal requirement for importers to hire a customs broker when they bring goods into the country. That said, a customs broker can be extremely helpful. Navigating import guidelines can be difficult by yourself.
Customs brokers can offer assistance that will help you avoid import violations and associated penalties. They’re extremely well-versed on importing regulations set by CBP and their partner government agencies (PGA).
With their support, you can count on all your importing endeavors running smoothly.
Customs brokers can provide various types of services to an importer during the Customs clearance process. All of the services that a broker can provide will make importing a much easier and less time-consuming process for you.
A simple but useful service that customs brokers provide is consulting sessions. During one of these meetings, you will be able to ask the customs broker any questions that you might have relating to shipping goods.
Your broker can provide you with answers and help you through the entire process. Customs brokers will ask you important, relevant questions during the consulting session as well.
A customs broker is supposed to understand the needs of the importer and the best way for them to do that is to determine the things you have and haven’t considered. If you’re importing for the first time, there’s a good chance that parts of the importing process are unknown to you.
When a customs broker asks you questions that you don’t have the answer to, they will use that opportunity to help you identify issues that need to be taken care of.
During a 45-minute consulting session, one of our licensed customs brokers can guide you through the guidelines you'll need to follow when importing.
Numerous documents are required to be submitted when you import goods into the country. Filling out the information that each document requires accurately and correctly is often intimidating for first-time importers. Customs brokers can either do this for you or help you do it yourself.
Some of the basic documents that importers need to provide are:
Depending on the goods coming into the country, you may need additional paperwork. For example, hazmat materials will come with separate paperwork that will need to be provided as well.
Documents like packing lists, commercial invoices, ISF and the BOL will require detailed descriptions of your goods. Writing out descriptions on your goods might seem easy, but the process can be difficult.
Customs brokers know exactly the correct wording that must be used and what details should be included in the paperwork that will eventually go to Customs for your import to make entry.
A customs bond is a document you’ll need if your imported shipment is worth more than $2,500 or if your goods are regulated by a PGA. Rather than going through the process of obtaining this document, a customs broker can purchase and submit one on your behalf.
A customs bond is essentially an agreement between an importer, customs authorities, and a surety company. Therefore, this document must be filled out correctly. A customs broker can complete all elements of the document on your behalf, which will ensure there are no problems at the port of entry.
We offer a continuous customs bond that will cover any number of imports for an entire year. It also renews automatically every year!
Most items that are imported into the country will have duty fees attached to them. Failure to pay duty fees on time can result in your goods being held up at Customs. To make sure that doesn’t happen, your customs broker will make sure that these fees get paid when you hire them.
Here’s how it works. Instead of paying Customs directly, you will submit the payment for your duty fees to your customs broker who will then submit it to Customs on your behalf. This guarantees that duty fees are always paid on time which will prevent your goods from being held by Customs.
The United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS) is used to identify taxes placed upon certain items that are imported into the country. The correct HTS code must be applied to your import otherwise you could end up paying more taxes for your goods than necessary.
As we noted earlier, customs brokers are tested on their knowledge of the HTSUS. Customs brokers are useful in this respect because they can identify the code that corresponds with the import quickly and correctly.
Although your customs broker can identify HTSUS codes for you, it doesn’t hurt for you to understand more about how these codes work. Our article on HTSUS codes and what they mean when you import will make their purpose clear to you.
Type in a phrase or single word describing your goods and find your HTS code with a single click.
One part of importing that is often overlooked is record keeping. Most import records should be kept for five years following their entry into the country. This is a legal requirement that all importers are held to by CBP. Customs brokers can show you how to store all the data about your import.
While the customs broker that helps you get your imports into the country will have copies of your data, you must also have your own. They, like importers, need to have records of imports they bring into the country for their own legal reasons.
That said, you should still have your record of import data on file, which is something a broker can also help you with.
Once your goods make it into the U.S., they can’t stay in the port of entry forever. Fortunately, customs brokers can help you coordinate your domestic freight shipments. They often work alongside third-party logistics (3PL) providers and other logistics specialists.
With their support, customs brokers can provide:
The freight coordination that customs brokers can offer will ensure your freight moves smoothly through the supply chain after it arrives in the country.
CBP might be the government organization that oversees regulations for imports and exports, but they aren’t the most accessible source of help during the importing process. Ports are busy places and CBP personnel are usually tending to other responsibilities around the port.
Customs brokers are more reliable because their whole purpose is to help an importer get goods across the border and into the country. Unlike CBP, customs brokers tailor their services specifically to your needs.
Customs broker rates can vary based on whether they work for themselves or if they answer to a larger agency. Despite the variation in rates, the table below will show the price of different charges you can expect to pay when you hire a customs broker.
Customs brokers can obtain customs bonds as well, but the amount you pay will vary based on the type of bond. That’s because the process for calculating single-transaction and continuous bonds are different. Before a broker purchases this bond on your behalf, they’ll ask you for more information about your import to determine how much you’ll need to pay for the document.
At USA Customs Clearance, you will find a knowledgeable team of customs brokers who will make you their first and foremost priority. We can provide you with top-class customer service on all the customs broker services we’ve gone over today.
Here are the services we have to offer:
Get the support you need from USA Customs Clearance today. If you have any questions, reach out to our team by calling (855) 912-0406 or navigating to our contact page.
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