If you have recently had a container inspected by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), you are probably wondering why you are being charged by the Centralized Examination Station (CES) conducting the inspection.
While those charges might seem strange at first, it’s all part of the regular examination process.
Every day, thousands of shipments make their way through U.S. ports of entry, and it is the CBP’s responsibility to ensure that these shipments do not contain contraband or otherwise illegal items.
In order to protect our borders CBP has the right to inspect any shipment that enters the United States, and it is the importer’s responsibility to bear the costs of all cargo exams performed by the CES. It’s all under 19 USC 1467. That law applies to household products as well since there is no distinction between personal and commercial shipments when it comes to port inspections.
The CBP has the right to examine any shipment that comes through U.S. ports, period.
The law also states that the owner of the shipment is responsible for any costs associated with the examination in 19 CFR 151.6: The Government shall be reimbursed for the compensation, computed in accordance with § 24.17(d) of this chapter, and other expenses of the Customs officer or employee supervising the action permitted.
CBP does not charge for inspections, but other costs can arise when shipments are sent to a CES for further examination. The charges for the inspection are not actually coming from CBP, it’s the CES – which is a privately owned entity – that charges for the costs associated with examinations.
Once an inspection is ordered by the CBP, the shipment is moved to a CES facility. There, the cargo will be unloaded, examined, reloaded, and then transported back to its original location. The bill that is sent to you is for the costs associated with all these tasks, plus storage fees in some cases.
The exact amount you end up getting charged varies depending on a host of factors like location, size of your shipments, and the distance to the nearest CES facility. The charges can be as high as a few hundred dollars in some cases, or less than a hundred in others.
While these charges might be inconvenient for some, using CES facilities for inspections allows for more timely and efficient inspections for all.
For more information on the charges that come with a CBP inspection as well as any other customs law issue, please contact Abady Law Firm (www.customsesq.com) at 800-549-5099.
