Required procedures when exporting goods to the US

Đăng ngày: Gerrard Nguyễn Từ khóa :
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Not every shipment that meets the requirements for exporting goods to the US can be cleared because of the strict safety standards, regulations, and procedures of the country.

The procedures for importing goods into the United States are much more complicated than regular procedures, including mandatory procedures that Vietnamese exporters need to pay special attention to.

Mandatory procedures for exporting goods to the US include:

  1. Automated Manifest System (AMS) declaration The Automated Manifest System (AMS) is a cargo control declaration system for all modes of transportation entering or exiting the United States. It was established by the US Customs and Border Protection after the 9/11 event.

48 hours prior to the vessel’s arrival and departure for the US market, the exporter must declare the shipment information to the US Customs at the loading port.

This system has been in effect since the beginning of 2003 and has become an indispensable task when shipping goods to the US. The AMS is declared by the carriers through their own websites or intermediaries authorized to connect to the US Customs network. To declare, carriers need to be granted their own username and password.

2. Import Security Filing (ISF)
In addition to the requirement to file customs information automatically, since January 2010, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has implemented an additional security filing requirement for importers called Import Security Filing (ISF). When completing the ISF filing, U.S. importers are required to provide additional information such as:

– Manufacturer (or supplier) name and address
– Importer of a record number
– Commodity HTSUS number
– Container stuffing location (consolidator)

Typically, the ISF filing is done at the same time as the AMS filing, so the above information is also required to be filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection 48 hours before the vessel departs from the loading port. Freight forwarders can assist importers in completing this information. The cost for filing an ISF is approximately $25 USD per ocean freight bill.

3. Container Inspection (X-ray)
Currently, the US Customs has implemented container inspection measures for containers that they have a suspicion about security or simply for random checks.

Container inspection can take place at both the transfer port and the destination port in the US.

4. Other notes for Vietnamese exporters

Delayed AMS filing: Export-import delays

If the exporter is unable to complete the AMS filing process, according to regulations, the shipment will not be loaded onto the vessel for export to the US, unless the cargo is transferred to the transshipment port.

AMS amendments:

Usually, AMS amendments occur when the actual amount of goods exported differs from the amount declared in the initial AMS filing or when there are errors in the recipient’s information. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will apply an amendment fee of USD 40 or USD 45 per amendment, depending on the shipping line.

Delayed ISF filing: Short-term export-import course

In principle, the ISF filing is the responsibility of the importer. However, if the filing is incomplete, the importer may be fined up to USD 5000 per shipment.

Goods held for X-ray scanning:

This is the most significant challenge that export companies often face. Depending on the commercial terms, the exporter or importer is responsible for paying the fees associated with container scanning. The costs include container scanning fees and port storage fees (as the scanning process usually takes one week or more).

If you are at the first time exporting cargo to US, you should hire a broker or professional forwarder who expert on it. TCL Logistics is a reliable address for you.

CONTACT US : 

Website : https://tclfreight.com.vn/en
Email : gerrard@tclfreight.com.vn
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