For definitions of “entry”, “entry summary”, “submission”, “filing”, “presentation”, “entered for consumption”, “entered for warehouse”, and “entered temporarily under bond”, as these terms relate to the entry of merchandise, see § 141.0a of this chapter.

(a) General rule: After arrival of merchandise. Merchandise for which entry is required will be entered within 15 calendar days after landing from a vessel, aircraft or vehicle, or after arrival at the port of destination in the case of merchandise transported in bond.

(b) Before arrival of merchandise—(1) Entry. The entry documentation required by § 142.3(a) may be submitted before the merchandise arrives within the limits of the port where entry is to be made, in which case the time of entry shall be the time specified in § 141.68(a).

(2) When entry summary serves as entry. The entry summary when it will be filed at time of entry to serve as both the entry and the entry summary, as provided in § 142.3(b), may be submitted for preliminary review in accordance with §§ 141.63(a) and 142.12(a)(2).

(a) Contents. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the entry documentation required to secure the release of merchandise must consist of the following:

(1) Entry. CBP Form 3461 (appropriately modified), or its electronic equivalent, except that CBP Form 7533 (appropriately modified), or its electronic equivalent, in duplicate, may be used in place of CBP Form 3461 for merchandise imported from a contiguous country. The form used must be prepared in accordance with § 141.61(a)(1) of this chapter.

(2) Evidence of the right to make entry. Evidence of the right to make entry, as set forth in § 141.11 of this chapter.

(3) Commercial invoice. A commercial invoice, except that in those instances listed in § 141.83(d) of this chapter where a commercial invoice is not required, a pro forma invoice or other acceptable documentation listed in that section may be submitted in place of a commercial invoice.

(4) Packing list. A packing list, where appropriate.

(5) Other documentation. Other documents which may be required by CBP or other Federal, State, or local agencies for a particular shipment.

(6) Identification. When merchandise is imported having been sold, or consigned, to a person in the United States, the name, street address, and appropriate identification number of that person, as provided in § 24.5 of this chapter, must be shown on the entry documents (CBP Form 3461, 3461 ALT, 7501), or their electronic equivalents. When, at the time of immediate delivery, entry or release, there is no known buyer, the name, street address, and appropriate identification number (as above) of the premises in the United States to which the merchandise is to be delivered must be shown on the entry or release documents.

(b) Entry summary filed at time of entry. When the entry summary is filed at time of entry in accordance with § 142.12(a)(1) or § 142.13:

(1) CBP Form 3461 or 7533, or their electronic equivalents, will not be required; and

(2) CBP Form 7501 or CBP Form 3311, or their electronic equivalent, (as appropriate, see § 142.11) may serve as both the entry and the entry summary documentation if the additional documentation set forth in paragraphs (a)(2), (3), (4) and (5) of this section and § 142.16(b) is filed.

(c) Extra copies. The CBP may require additional copies of the documentation.

(d) Electronic format. The entry documentation identified in this section may be submitted to CBP in either a paper or, where appropriate, an electronic format.

(a) Placement on CBP forms. The importer or broker shall place an 11 character entry number on the entry and corresponding entry summary documentation. For documentation prepared on data processing equipment, the number shall be printed directly on the form. For manually prepared documentation, the number shall be pre-printed in a machine readable format specified by CBP. The same number shall not be used for more than one entry transaction.

(b) Format. The following format, including hyphens, must be used when showing the entry number:

(1) Assignment of entry filer code. CBP will assign a unique 3 character (alphabetic, numeric, or alpha numeric) entry filer code to all licensed brokers filing CBP entries. CBP will assign an entry filer code to certain importers filing CBP entries based on importer entry volume, frequency of entry filing, and other considerations. The broker or importer shall use this assigned code as the beginning three characters of the number for all CBP entries, regardless of where the entries are filed.

(2) Entry filer assigned number. For each entry, the broker or importer shall assign a unique 7 digit number. This number shall not be assigned to more than one transaction.

(3) Check digit. The broker or importer is responsible for ensuring that the check digit is computed by data processing equipment.

(c) Pulication of entry filer codes. CBP shall make available electronically a listing of filer codes and the importers, consignees, and customs brokers assigned those filer codes. The listing will be updated periodically.

(d) Misuse of the entry filer code. The Assistant Commissioner, Office of International Trade, or his designee may refuse to allow use of an assigned entry filer code if it is misused by the importer or broker.

(e) Alternative procedure. If an importer does not have an assigned entry filer code, or if the Assistant Commissioner, Office of International Trade, or his designee, in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section refuses to allow use of an assigned entry filer code, the importer or broker shall obtain forms with a CBP assigned pre-printed machine readable entry number with a computed check digit. These forms will be available for sale by CBP and must be obtained and used before the merchandise may be released from CBP custody.

(a) At the time of entry. Except as provided in § 10.101(d) of this chapter, or paragraph (c) of this section, merchandise shall not be released from Customs custody at the time Customs receives the entry documentation or the entry summary documentation which serves as both the entry and the entry summary, as required by § 142.3 unless a single entry or continuous bond on Customs Form 301, containing the bond conditions set forth in § 113.62 of this chapter, executed by an approved corporate surety, or secured by cash deposits or obligations of the United States, as provided for in § 113.40 of this chapter, has been filed. When any of the imported merchandise is subject to a tariff-rate quota and is to be released at a time when the applicable quota is filled, the full rates shall be used in computing the estimated duties to determine the amount of the bond.

(b) If entry summary is filed after entry. (1) Except as provided in § 141.102(d) of this chapter, if the entry summary is filed after the entry, the bond filed at the time of entry, as required by paragraph (a) of this section or by § 142.19, shall continue to be obligated unless a superseding bond is filed, as provided in § 141.20 of this chapter, or unless a bond of the type described in paragraph (a) of this section is filed under the circumstances described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section. If a superseding bond is filed, or if a bond is filed under the circumstances described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the obligations of the initial bond shall be terminated as to any liability which may accrue after the superseding or other bond becomes effective.

(2) If entry is made in the name of an agent, supported by the agent's bond, or in the name of a principal, supported by the principal's bond, and the entry summary thereafter is filed in the name of the other party, the party named in the entry summary shall file a bond on Customs Form 301, containing the bond conditions set forth in § 113.62 of this chapter. In this circumstance, the bond obligation of the party in whose name entry was made shall be terminated, as to liability which may accrue after the bond filed by the party named in the entry summary becomes effective, and the party filing the entry summary need not file the separate declaration of the actual owner and the superseding bond otherwise required under § 141.20 of this chapter.

(c) Waiver of surety or cash deposit. (1) The port director may waive the requirement for surety or cash deposit on the bond required by this section when (i) the value of the merchandise which the bond secures does not exceed $2,500, (ii) the entry summary documentation is filed and estimatedduties, if any, are deposited prior to release of the merchandise and (iii) the importer has not been delinquent or otherwise remiss in any transaction with Customs.

(2) This authority to waive surety or cash deposit does not apply to (i) quota merchandise, (ii) any type of merchandise which, in the opinion of the port director, cannot be easily appraised or classified, or (iii) any type of merchandise where there may be, in the opinion of the port director based on past experience, a question of redelivery.

(a) Contents. The commercial invoice, or the documentation acceptable in place of a commercial invoice in those instances listed in § 141.83(d) of this chapter, shall be furnished with the entry and before release of the merchandise is authorized. The commercial invoice or other acceptable documentation shall contain:

(1) An adequate description of the merchandise.

(2) The quantities of the merchandise.

(3) The values or approximate values of the merchandise.

(4) The appropriate eight-digit subheading from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. If the importer is uncertain of the appropriate subheading number, Customs shall assist him at his request. The port director may waive this requirement if he is satisfied that the information is not available at the time release of the merchandise is authorized.

(5) The name and complete address of the foreign individual or firm who is responsible for invoicing the merchandise, ordinarily the manufacturer/seller, but where the manufacturer is not the seller, the party who sold the merchandise for export to the U.S., or made the merchandise available for sale.

(b) Information not required when filing entry. In addition to the information specified in paragraph (a) of this section, the commercial invoice or substitute document filed with the entry documentation also may include any other invoice information required by §§ 141.86 through 141.89 of this chapter. However, if this information does not appear on the invoice or substitute document filed with the entry documentation, it shall be included in the invoice or substitute document delivered at the time the entry summary documentation is filed.

No merchandise for which the entry documentation required by § 142.3 has been filed shall be released until it has been examined, or until adequate samples have been taken in the case of merchandise which is to be classified and appraised by means of samples, unless this requirement is waived by the port director in accordance with section 499, Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1499).

Merchandise for which timely entry is not filed as required by § 142.2 shall be treated in accordance with § 4.37 and part 127 of this chapter.