Entry of Merchandise: Entry Process, Entry Summary, Bonds, and Surety Requirements (19 CFR Parts 113, 141-143)
Entry is the formal presentation of imported merchandise to CBP and the point at which estimated duties are deposited. Know the right to make entry: the importer of record may be the consignee, owner, purchaser, or a duly authorized agent, and a broker files on behalf of the importer under a power of attorney.
The basic timeline is heavily tested. Entry is generally due within 15 calendar days after arrival of the merchandise. After entry or release, the entry summary (CBP Form 7501) is generally due within 10 working days, and estimated duties, taxes, and fees must be deposited with it. Distinguish formal entry from informal entry and from specialized entries such as warehouse, temporary importation under bond (TIB), and foreign trade zone admissions.
Bonds secure performance, not payment in place of duties. A single transaction bond covers one entry; a continuous bond covers all entries during a bond period and generally has a minimum of $50,000, commonly calculated from the prior year's duties, taxes, and fees. Bond conditions include paying duties, producing documents, and redelivering merchandise on demand. A CBP-approved surety must back the bond.
Traps: mixing the 15-day entry deadline with the 10-working-day entry summary deadline; thinking a continuous bond eliminates duty payment; forgetting that the entry summary liquidates later; and confusing release from CBP custody with liquidation.
Worked example/rule of thumb: A vessel arrives March 1. Entry is due by March 16. If entry is filed March 10, the entry summary is generally due within 10 working days, with estimated duties paid then. Rule of thumb: 15 days to enter, 10 working days to summarize.