Customs clearance at the Port of Los Angeles

Los Angeles files under CBP port code 2704. Long Beach, immediately next door across San Pedro Bay, files under 2709. CBP runs the two as a single port office with one port director, and its own notices are headed Los Angeles / Long Beach Seaport with both codes on them. Two codes, one office, and an entry still names one of them.

CBP port code: 2704
CBP district: 27
Official CBP name: Los Angeles, California

Two codes and one port director is not the same as one port

This is the most common structural misunderstanding on the West Coast. CBP administers Los Angeles and Long Beach from one office, with one port director, the same examination arrangements and the same partner agency staffing. That leads people to assume the codes are interchangeable. They are not.

Which code your entry names follows where the vessel actually discharged, not which name your supplier is used to writing. The two are separate port authorities as well, run by two different cities with their own tariffs, so the container is genuinely at one or the other.

Seven container terminals, and a lot of the cargo is only passing through

The Port of Los Angeles has seven container terminals. Between Los Angeles and Long Beach, a large share of arriving containers has historically moved inland by rail rather than being delivered locally, which is what the trade calls discretionary or IPI cargo.

That matters to an importer for a reason that has nothing to do with California. If your goods are bound for Chicago or Dallas, the decision about whether to clear at the coast or move in bond to an inland port is a real one with real money attached, and it is much easier to make before the vessel arrives than after the box is on a chassis. Send us the final destination along with the bill of lading.

What actually delays a pickup here

Every international terminal in the San Pedro Bay complex runs an appointment system. In our experience the constraint on getting a cleared container out of Los Angeles is far more often appointment availability and drayage capacity than anything to do with customs.

That is worth knowing because it changes who you should be chasing. A container with a customs release and no appointment is not a customs problem, and calling your broker about it will not move it.

Services

FAQ

What is the CBP port code for the Port of Los Angeles?

2704. Long Beach is 2709. CBP administers both from one office with one port director, and its own trader notices are headed with both codes, but they remain separate entry ports.

Can I file my entry under either the LA or the Long Beach code?

No. The code follows where the vessel actually discharged your container. One port office does not make the two codes interchangeable, and this is the point people most often get wrong about San Pedro Bay.

My goods are going to the Midwest. Should I clear in Los Angeles?

Possibly not. A large share of San Pedro Bay cargo moves inland by rail, and an in-bond move to an inland port can be cheaper and faster than clearing at the coast, depending on your volume and timing. Tell us the destination and we will work out which is better before the vessel arrives.

My container cleared customs but I still cannot collect it. Why?

Usually an appointment or a drayage constraint rather than anything customs related. Every international terminal here runs an appointment system, and a customs release does not create a slot. Knowing which of the two problems you have saves a day of calling the wrong people.

Do you file at Los Angeles from Florida and Puerto Rico?

Yes, under filer code EWV. Under the national permit a licensed customs broker conducts customs business in any district and entries move through ACE. Nothing about a Los Angeles entry requires a desk in California.

Coast or inland?

On San Pedro Bay cargo that decision is worth real money and it is easiest to make before arrival. Send the bill of lading and the final destination and we will price both routes.

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