Entry Process, Bonding, and Entry Summary
This domain tests the mechanical sequence from arrival to liquidation, including bond sufficiency and the consequence of each missed filing date.
The sequence
- Entry under 19 U.S.C. §1484 must be filed within 15 calendar days of arrival.
- Entry summary (CBP Form 7501) and the duty deposit are due within 10 working days of entry.
- ISF (10+2) for ocean cargo is due 24 hours before loading at the foreign port.
- Liquidation occurs within 314 days of the entry date unless extended.
- Errors found before liquidation are fixed by Post Summary Correction; after liquidation, only a protest works.
Bonds
- Single transaction bond: covers one entry.
- Continuous bond: minimum $50,000, generally 10% of the duties, taxes, and fees paid in the prior 12 months.
- A bond guarantees payment and compliance; it does not pay the duty for the importer.
Entry types
Consumption, informal (generally shipments valued at or below $2,500), warehouse, temporary importation under bond, foreign trade zone admission, and in-bond transit - each with distinct documentation and time limits.
Worked example
Merchandise arrives March 3. Entry is due by March 18; the summary and deposit are due 10 working days after entry. If the broker files the summary 20 working days late, CBP may issue a notice of liquidated damages against the bond even though the duty is eventually paid - the bond secures timeliness, not only money.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing the 15-calendar-day and 10-working-day clocks.
- Treating the $50,000 continuous bond minimum as a percentage of a single entry's duties.
- Assuming a bond means no cash deposit is due.
- Filing a protest instead of a PSC for an error caught before liquidation.