Customs clearance at the Port of Seattle

Seattle files under CBP port code 3001 and Tacoma files under 3002. The two market their container business jointly as the Northwest Seaport Alliance, which is an operating partnership rather than a merger: both port districts still exist, both still own their own terminals, and both remain separate ports of entry. One brand, two customs ports, and your entry names one of them.

CBP port code: 3001
CBP district: 30
Official CBP name: Seattle, Washington

Read the terminal, not the brand

A booking that says Northwest Seaport Alliance, or Seattle and Tacoma together, does not by itself tell you which harbour your vessel discharges at. The terminal name does. Terminal 5, Terminal 18 and Terminal 30 are Seattle harbour. Husky, Washington United, Pierce County and the Sitcum terminals are Tacoma harbour, about thirty miles away.

That mix-up is easy because one terminal list is published under one brand. The consequence is not cosmetic: the entry is filed at the port where the goods are released, so the harbour decides the code, and thirty miles of drayage between the two is a real cost if an examination lands on the wrong side.

One port director does not mean one port of entry

CBP administers Tacoma under the Seattle area port, so the same port director covers both. That is a field management arrangement, not a merger of entry ports, and the two Schedule D codes remain distinct.

This is the same structure you find at Los Angeles and Long Beach, and it produces the same misunderstanding in both places. An area port is not a port of entry.

Inland routing is the real decision here

Both harbours have on dock and near dock rail with Class 1 service, and a large volume of transpacific cargo moves inland to Chicago and the Midwest rather than being delivered locally.

If your goods are bound east, whether you clear at the coast or move in bond to an inland destination is a genuine choice with money attached. Tell us the final destination along with the bill of lading and we will work it out before the vessel arrives.

Services

FAQ

What is the CBP port code for Seattle?

3001. Tacoma is a separate port of entry at 3002, even though the two market their container business together as the Northwest Seaport Alliance.

Did Seattle and Tacoma merge?

No. The Northwest Seaport Alliance is a marine cargo operating partnership formed in 2015. Both port districts still exist and still own their own assets, and for customs purposes they remain two ports of entry with two codes.

My booking says Northwest Seaport Alliance. Which port is my entry filed at?

Whichever harbour the vessel actually discharges at, which the brand name does not tell you. The terminal does: Terminal 5, 18 and 30 are Seattle; Husky, Washington United, Pierce County and the Sitcum terminals are Tacoma. Send us the terminal and we will file against the right code.

Is there one customs port for the whole alliance?

No. CBP runs Tacoma under the Seattle area port, so there is one port director, but an area port is a management structure and not a port of entry. The two codes stay separate.

Which terminal, not which brand

The alliance name on your booking does not decide your entry port; the discharge terminal does. Send us the bill of lading and we will confirm which of the two you are on.

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