File an ISF 10+2 Importer Security Filing on time with US CBP
domain: cbp.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Gather the 10 data elements required from the importer: seller, buyer, importer of record number, consignee number, manufacturer, ship-to party, country of origin, commodity HTSUS, container stuffing location, and consolidator.
Submit the ISF to CBP via an ACE-certified filing agent or your own ACE portal account **no later than 24 hours before cargo is laden (loaded) aboard the vessel** at the foreign port of export.
File the 2 carrier data elements (vessel stow plan and container status messages) separately through the ocean carrier or their agent.
After filing, monitor CBP's `ISF_ACCEPTED` and `ISF_MATCHED` messages in ACE; resolve any mismatch or rejection notices before the vessel arrives.
Update the ISF if any data elements change after submission — updates are required as soon as discrepancies are known and no later than 24 hours before US arrival.
Known gotchas
The ISF deadline is **24 hours before cargo is laden aboard the vessel** at the foreign port — not 24 hours before vessel departure or arrival; by vessel departure the window has already closed.
Late, inaccurate, or incomplete filings each carry a liquidated damages penalty of up to **$5,000 per violation** from CBP.
The ISF is not required for cargo traveling by air, rail, or truck — it applies only to ocean shipments arriving in the United States.
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