Frequently asked questions
The questions importers actually ask us, answered the way we answer them on the phone: plainly, with the dates and citations that make the answer usable.
What does a customs broker do?
A licensed customs broker transacts customs business on your behalf: classifies your goods, files entries and agency data, arranges bonds, pays duties, works holds, and files the refunds, protests and drawback claims that only a licensed broker may file.
Are the 2025 tariffs really refundable?
The IEEPA tariffs are. The Supreme Court struck them down on February 20, 2026, and CBP has been refunding through CAPE since April 20, 2026, with interest. There is no announced CAPE deadline; each entry runs its own clock off its liquidation date, which is what a broker checks first.
Who is allowed to file my tariff refund?
It depends on the route. A CAPE claim for the 2025 tariffs comes only from you as importer of record or from the broker who filed those entries. Protests, post-summary corrections and drawback claims can be filed by any licensed broker you authorize, including us. Either way, filing customs business for others without a license violates 19 USC 1641; our license and filer code, EWV, are on every filing we make.
What is duty drawback?
A refund of up to 99 percent of duties and eligible fees, including MPF and HMF, on imported goods that are later exported or destroyed, with a lookback of five years from importation.
How much are the MPF and HMF?
The merchandise processing fee is 0.3464 percent of entered value, with a minimum of $33.58 and maximum of $651.50 through September 2026, rising to $34.58 and $670.86 on October 1, 2026. The harbor maintenance fee is 0.125 percent on ocean imports.
How long do I have to protest a CBP decision?
180 days from liquidation, under 19 USC 1514. Before liquidation, a post-summary correction is available instead, within 300 days of entry and up to 15 days before liquidation, whichever comes first.
When is the ISF due and what is the penalty?
Most elements are due 24 hours before the cargo is laded at the foreign port, and two of them run to 24 hours before arrival instead. Violations carry $5,000 in liquidated damages each, and there is no per-filing cap.
How long can freight move in bond?
Transit must complete within 30 days, 60 by barge, then a second clock runs: 15 calendar days after arrival to enter, export or admit the goods to an FTZ. The second clock is the one that catches people.
Do you have an office in Miami?
Not yet. We clear freight at PortMiami and MIA daily from Cataño and Orlando under the national permit, filer code EWV, and a Miami office is in the plans.
Do you handle Puerto Rico excise tax?
Yes, as core work: excise presentation and clearance, SURI declarations and APHIS permits, from our Cataño office. It is the half of island clearance most mainland brokers cannot do.
What do I need to become a customer?
A power of attorney executed directly with us, as 19 CFR part 111 requires, and a short customer profile. Most accounts can file within a day or two of returning both.
Do you work in Spanish?
The entire firm does, from the first phone call to the licensed brokers. English and Spanish are both working languages here.
CTPAT certified broker · EWV