An Import Entry Filing (IEF) is a critical step in clearing goods through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to file CBP forms 7501 (Entry Summary) and 3461 (Entry/Immediate Delivery) to pay applicable customs duties and release the goods from CBP custody. Properly filing an IEF allows importers to declare shipment details, calculate duties, and meet regulatory requirements efficiently. pCustoms simplifies this process by providing an intuitive platform to create and submit IEFs seamlessly. Let's explore this step-by-step guide on how to create a new Import Entry Filing in pCustoms, ensuring accuracy and compliance for a smooth customs clearance process.

You need to click on the "Import Entry Filing" at the left navigation bar:

You need to click the "New IEF" button at the top right to open the form to enter the details needed to create a new import entry filing:

Now, it's time to enter the details to fill out the form. You need to provide the following:

The shipment number is the reference to your shipment from the shipments module in pCustoms. You need to enter the shipment reference, master, or house bill number (minimum two characters) to search and then choose the shipment:

If you want to add a new shipment, you can read the article here that goes into detail on how to create a shipment entity in pCustoms.

The cargo description is the plain English language description of the cargo, not exceeding 50 characters, sufficient to identify it for customs purposes:

The export date is the actual date the merchandise finally leaves the country of exportation for the United States. The country of exportation is the country of which the merchandise was the last part of the commerce and from which the merchandise was shipped to the US without the contingency of diversion:

The import date is, in the case of merchandise imported otherwise than by vessel, the date on which the merchandise arrives within the customs territory of the United States. In the case of merchandise imported by a vessel, the import date is the date on which the vessel arrives within the limits of a port in the United States with intent then and there to unlade such merchandise:

The arrival date is the date on which merchandise arrives within the customs territory of the United States. Usually, it is the same as the import date:

The manifested quantity is the total quantity of the cargo declared per the bill of lading or air waybill for your shipment:

The manifested unit type is the total quantity unit type of the cargo declared per your shipment's bill of lading or air waybill bill. Choose from the options available below:

Add the below details for each commercial invoice for your shipment:

The invoice number is a unique identifier assigned to a commercial invoice. The invoice value is the total monetary amount of the goods listed. The invoice currency is the currency denomination in which the invoice value is stated, indicating the monetary unit used for the transaction, such as USD, CNY, EUR, GBP, or JPY.

Upload the shipment documents you have in the documents section. Click "Choose file" to upload:

Then, choose the document type from one of the options available below:

Once you fill out all the details mentioned above, click the "Checkout and Save" button at the bottom:

Lastly, we need to enter the bond details. Choose the bond type from the options below for your IEF filing:

If you want to learn more about customs bonds, here is the article about Single Transaction Bonds, and here is about Continuous Bonds.

The bondholder is the entity that possesses or is purchasing the customs bond, which is typically the importer. You can input the entity name, city, or country ISO code to search from entities you have in the commercial entities module:

If you need to add a bondholder, you can follow the article here that goes into detail on how to add a new importer entity in pCustoms.

Then, once you fill out the bond details, click on the "Confirm":

Enter your payment method details for the base IEF fee:

Then, click "Pay" to proceed:

Once you submit your payment information and pay, then you will be redirected to the Payment History page to see your payment status for the filing. Go back to the Import Entry Filing module, and there you can see in a table like the one below all the IEF entries you submitted:

You can filter through entities by column by clicking the filter button in the respective column name:

Or sort in an ascending or descending order by clicking the respective column name:

Click on the shipment reference of the IEF we created to review the entity profile:

You should see the entity profile in the below format:

Click on the "Manifest Query" button at the bottom to initiate a manifest query with CBP to check the latest status of your shipment:

It may take 4-5 seconds for CBP's system to process your request and then provide feedback. Click on the "Latest Query History" button to ensure you have the latest data fetched from CBP:

Then, click on the latest "Event ID" to see the status message:

You will see the message from CBP in the below format:

To edit the entity, just click the "Edit" button at the bottom to make the form fields editable:

If you want to make changes to the shipment entity, such as to amend carrier bill information or shipment parties, go to the shipments module and make the necessary changes to the shipment there.

If you want to add new documents, just click the "Add Document" button below:

For compliance reasons, shipment number and document fields are not editable after the initial submission in the IEF module.

Once you are ready and have made the necessary changes, click on "Save":

If you will face any issues during the whole process above, please contact us via chat so we can assist.

Click the chat button at the bottom right:

Then, click on "Contact support":

Once the customs broker completes the initial review of your entry, then a customs entry will be created for your IEF. You can click on the "Entry Number" to track its status:

You will see the latest statuses in the below format:

Once you see the message "AE | ABIAppCustoms | ABIAppCustomsAccepted," which means your entry summary (AE) was accepted by CBP, then you can proceed with the duty payments for the release of your cargo from customs custody:

Then, click the "New Payment" button:

There, you will see the duty fees and additional clearance fees, such as for PGA, additional commodity lines, and single transaction bond, in the below format:

You can learn more about IEF fees here and about Single Transaction IEF bonds here.

You can proceed with ACH direct debit if you have a US bank account or with a traditional bank wire (FedWire or SWIFT) if you are an international customer. Choose one of the below options accordingly:

Then click on "Pay":

Once your payment is received for duties, then we can proceed with the cargo release request from CBP. You will see a cargo release status message "SE | ABIAppCustoms | ABIAppCustomsCargoReleased" in the below format:

SE - means cargo release.

You need to print the forms below that you may need to present to CBP, warehouse, port, etc. to collect the cargo:

To print the form 3461, click the button "Cargo Release - CBP 3461" button at the bottom:

Form 3461 in the below format will be downloaded to your device:

To print the form 7501, click the button "Entry Summary - CBP 7501" button at the bottom:

Form 7501 in the below format will be downloaded to your device:

To print the ABI messages, click the button "ABI Messages" button at the bottom:

ABI messages in the below format will be downloaded to your device:

Filing an Import Entry Filing (IEF) in pCustoms ensures a smooth customs clearance process by accurately submitting CBP Forms 7501 (Entry Summary) and 3461 (Entry/Immediate Delivery). By entering shipment details, attaching invoices and documents, selecting the appropriate bond type, and processing duty payments, importers can efficiently comply with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations. The system allows for real-time tracking, manifest queries, and status updates, ensuring that all customs requirements are met. Once duties are paid and cargo is released, users can download CBP forms for submission to warehouses, ports, or other required parties, ensuring seamless cargo retrieval and compliance.