ISF filing, before the clock does its damage
The Importer Security Filing, the 10+2, is due 24 hours before your cargo is laded on the vessel overseas. Not before arrival. Before lading. Get it wrong and the liquidated damages are $5,000 per violation, and more than one violation can attach to a single filing. We file ISFs daily so that arithmetic never becomes yours.
What the ISF is and when it is truly due
The ISF sends CBP ten data elements from the importer and two from the carrier before ocean cargo heads for the United States: seller, buyer, manufacturer, ship-to, country of origin, HTS number and the rest. The deadline is 24 hours before the cargo is laded at the foreign port, which in practice means the filing has to be ready while your supplier is still stuffing the container.
Responsibility does not transfer to whoever files it. The importer stays on the hook, which is exactly why the filing belongs with a licensed customs broker who will chase your supplier for the missing data elements instead of transmitting blanks.
The penalty math
Liquidated damages run $5,000 per violation under the bond condition at 19 CFR 113.62(j), and the widely repeated $10,000 cap does not exist. CBP describes $5,000 for a late filing, $5,000 for an inaccurate one and $5,000 for the first inaccurate update, which is $15,000 on a single ISF. On top of the dollars, ISF problems invite holds and exams that cost days at the other end. The cheapest ISF is the boring one filed on time.
We tie ISF filing to the rest of your entry work, so the data collected for the security filing feeds straight into the customs entry when the vessel arrives. One data pull, two filings, no retyping errors.
The rule behind ISF
19 CFR 149.2, Importer Security FilingOfficial
The filing is due no later than 24 hours before the cargo is laden aboard the vessel at the foreign port.
FAQ
When is the ISF due?
24 hours before the cargo is laded aboard the vessel at the foreign port. It is a pre-departure deadline, not a pre-arrival one, and that distinction is where most violations happen.
What is the penalty for a late ISF?
Liquidated damages of $5,000 per violation, with no per-filing cap. The $10,000 figure people repeat is the stand-alone ISF bond amount, not a ceiling on damages, and CBP can stack violations on one filing. Holds and exams on flagged shipments cost more again.
Does ISF apply to air freight?
No. The ISF is an ocean requirement. Air shipments have their own advance data requirements handled through the carrier's filings and your entry.
Can my freight forwarder file my ISF?
The ISF may be filed by an agent, but the importer keeps the liability either way. We file it as your licensed customs broker so the same team that answers for your entry answers for your ISF.
Put your ISFs on rails
Send us your supplier and routing details once. We will file every ISF on time and roll the same data into your entries.
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