Avoid Customs Clearance Delays

Importing goods into the U.S. can be complicated. That's a simple matter of fact. The trade agreements that we have with countries all over the world are intricate and specific to each country. However, there are quite a few things you can do as the importer to minimize delays in Customs clearance of your goods. In this article, I will address just a few of them.

Your commercial invoice. While it's hard for me to assign importance of these key elements, I do have to say that your invoice is a deal breaker. There is just no way you can pass Customs without a clear, detailed invoice that contains a few key elements. Your invoice should have the following components, each and every time. It should always state the shipper's name and address as well as yours. If you are only the receiver, and the Importer, or Bill To, entity or individual is someone else, that too should be noted. If the shipper is not the manufacturer of whatever goods you are receiving, the manufacturer should be noted on the commercial invoice. Every invoice should include a detailed description of your goods. Parts numbers or industry terminology is a sure way to be asked for further information, resulting in delays to your shipment. Quantities and values, per each item, are required information on the invoice, along with total values of all items.

The airway bill. The airway bill should reflect the shipper's name and address as well as yours if you are the receiver. If you are the importer, but the goods are to be delivered elsewhere, save that for the invoice. The airway bill should reflect shipper and receiver, with good contact information for both. The airway bill should also include the number of packages, total weight of the shipment, usually dimensions of the package(s), and total value. Usually, the airway bill will denote who paid for shipping and who is responsible for any duties or taxes incurred in the clearance by the receiving country. There is also a description box on the airway bill to detail the contents of the package.

Contact information. Let me say that again. Contact information! Yes, contact information gets 2 points! I cannot be more emphatic about this. If your shipper or broker cannot reach someone to obtain further information for a shipment that is stuck in Customs, it will not go anywhere fast! I suggest you provide a daytime, nighttime, phone, fax and email. Yes, I'm that serious about this one. And that goes for your shipper too. Insist they provide good contact details for themselves on both the invoice and the airway bill. If one document is lost in transit, you still have the other for your carrier to reach out for any further documentation or information that may be missing.

Proactivity on your part. A lot of new importers don't realize this, but being proactive in the process of your import could make the difference between an, as promised, on time delivery and a day or two (or more!) delay in the clearance of your goods. Do not assume that everything is fine as soon as you make the deal with your foreign vendor. As soon as you have an airway bill or tracking number, get on the phone! Call your carrier or your broker and let them know you have a shipment in the pipeline. This is especially important if you have a client meeting to show samples or a convention or trade show deadline. Just a little extra effort on your part at the outset could make a world of difference when it comes time to show your hot off the assembly line widget. When you do contact your freight carrier, ask questions. Find out if there is ANYTHING that they can see which might delay the shipment and provide it to them! If you are really proactive about this, you might never know if your shipment would have been delayed without effort on your part, and really, that's a good thing. The folks you'll be dealing with are professionals and will usually be able to tell you by looking at the paperwork what just might hang up your shipment in Customs. Don't worry, after you have a few imports under your belt, you will probably be able to sit out baby-sitting a package once in a while, but until you're there, diligence on your part could make the difference between getting the contract or sale and sitting there with no product to show.