Getting Started
Five things that should be completed before the shipment has even departed origin.
- An importer of record number. For a U.S. company this is normally your IRS/EIN number. For individuals, it is their social security number.
- A customs bond. See the next question.
- Details about the products being imported including description, product composition, country of origin, value, and the manufacturer. Some products will require additional information, but this what begins the process of determining the HTS code. It confirms the duty rate and it determines which additional government agencies, if any, will need to review and give their approval for admissibility as well.
- Any partner agency requirements. Food, for example, will require submitting an FDA Prior Notice and, in most cases, the details of a registered foreign facility.
- An Importer Security Filing for ocean shipments, transmitted before the cargo is loaded overseas.
The earlier in the process that Brauner International is involved, the more time we have to ensure that documentation and filings are correct. Penalties are four or five-figures, and outcomes can be as severe as the goods needing being re-exported or destroyed after arrival.
In almost every case, yes. CBP requires a bond as a financial guarantee that duties, taxes and fees will be paid and that you will meet your obligations as an importer.
You can use a single transaction bond, which covers one shipment, or a continuous bond, which covers a year of entries and your Importer Security Filings. If you expect to import more than a few times a year, the continuous bond is usually the cheaper route. We can arrange either.
Often, yes, though it takes some setup. A foreign company can act as importer of record, but it will need a CBP-assigned identification number, a bond written by a U.S. surety, and in most cases a U.S. agent for service of process. Some commodities and some agency requirements make this harder than others.
If you are a foreign exporter selling to a U.S. buyer on delivered terms, CBP and the US government are imposing additional requirements. Ensuring all the requirements are met prior to loading will save time and additional costs for storage or examinations that could happen after arrival.
Our area of expertise are imports of all kinds, primarily through the air and ocean ports of New York and New Jersey with particular depth in green coffee, cocoa and tea. We also handle machinery, chemicals and general commercial cargo for established importers and can make entry at any air, ocean, or land border in the United States.
We are a customs broker and international freight forwarder. We are not a domestic trucking company, a warehouse operator or a fulfillment provider. If what you need is truckload capacity, third-party logistics or delivery into Amazon fulfillment centers as a standalone service, we are probably not the right firm, and we would rather tell you that than take up your time.
Coffee, Cocoa and Tea
Coffee, cocoa and tea look straightforward on paper. A broker who does not handle them every week tends to miss the same few things.
- Foreign Supplier Verification. Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, the U.S. importer is responsible for verifying that the foreign supplier produces the food under standards comparable to U.S. requirements.
- Classification detail. Roasted or unroasted, decaffeinated or not, certified organic or conventional. Each of these changes the tariff line and the information to be submitted to CBP and other PGAs for release.
- How the trade actually works. Green coffee moves on contracts, marks and lot numbers that do not always match the commercial invoice. Reconciling that before entry is what keeps shipments out of examination.
- Weight and condition. Shortages, moisture and damage on bulk agricultural cargo have their own claims and duty-adjustment routes. Knowing they exist is most of the battle.
None of this is exotic. It is simply what you learn from clearing these commodities continuously since 1931.
It begins with classification. The HTS code sets the base rate, and depending on the product and the country of origin there may be additional duties layered on top. That second part has been changing often, and those additional trade remedy duties should be confirmed prior to shipment.
We would rather have an in-depth conversation than trade emails or give answers over the phone.
Clearance and Examinations
Prior to departure, we transmit the Importer Security Filing for ocean shipments and build the entry from your supplier documents. FDA Prior Notice goes in before arrival as well, no less than eight hours for ocean cargo and four hours for air. The entry goes to CBP and the other government agencies electronically, and CBP answers with a release, a hold or an examination.
When the paperwork is in order, the cargo can move as soon as the cargo is available and all holds for documents or fees have been satisfied.
When it’s not in order, it’s usually traced to one of these five causes:
- documents that do not agree with one another
- a classification that has to be corrected after we’ve submitted the information
- an FDA hold, usually driven by a new supplier, a history of violations, or missing or incomplete information
- an examination, which adds days and costs regardless of the outcome
- the free time clock, because the time to pick up cargo after arrival is limited in both the air and ocean environments and the costs are either flat per container, or based on the size and weight of the shipment for LCL and air freight.
The last one is what actually costs importers money. A two-day paperwork delay is a small problem. A two-day delay that begins on the day free time expires is not.
CBP can examine cargo where it resides, or direct it to a Centralized Examination Station (CES), where CBP officers receive and examine cargo. If a full container, it is moved, opened and inspected. After release, the cargo can be delivered directly to its destination. The importer bears the cost, which includes the drayage, the examination site charges, and any demurrage or per diem accruing while it waits.
Timelines vary by port and by how backed up the examination sites are. The most useful thing we can do is make sure your documents answer the question CBP is asking, ensuring the goods are inspected and released as quickly as possible.
Less than the sales pitch tends to suggest, and considerably more than nothing.
CTPAT is a voluntary supply chain security program. Members meet CBP’s minimum security criteria and are scored as lower risk in return. In practice that means fewer examinations, and a place near the front of the line when an examination does happen. Members are also assigned a CBP Supply Chain Security Specialist and become eligible for other trusted trader programs and for mutual recognition arrangements with foreign customs administrations.
What it does not do is exempt you from is the chance of inspection. CBP retains full authority to examine any shipment. Anyone telling you that CTPAT means your cargo will not be opened is overselling it.
Brauner is a certified and validated CTPAT member. If you are considering an application, we can walk you through what it would involve for your operation.
Working With Us
We are smaller, and for the importers who stay with us that is the point. You reach the same people each time, and they know your account without having to look it up first. Our licensed brokers have been doing this for decades.
A large national broker will handle routine entries at volume perfectly well. If your imports are simple and your only question is price, that may genuinely be the better answer for you. Our work is worth more when the shipment is not routine, when the commodity carries agency requirements, or when something has gone wrong and you need a person rather than a ticket number.
Call the Jersey City office at (201) 333-5400 for ocean freight, or the JFK office at (718) 656-5680 for air, or send us a note through the contact form.
Tell us what you are importing, where it is coming from, roughly how often you expect to ship, and whether you have imported before. That is usually enough for us to tell you what you will need and what it is likely to cost.