# Customs-Bonds.com > Customs-Bonds.com is a U.S. customs bond underwriting platform — a Janus Assurance Re company with Surety One, Inc. as managing general agent — issuing continuous and single transaction surety bonds accepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) across all 17 CBP activity codes. Standard and non-standard (impaired-credit, start-up) underwriting. Toll-free (800) 373-2804 · underwriting@customs-bonds.com. ## Key facts - Required whenever commercial merchandise valued over $2,500 enters U.S. commerce, or at any value when a Partner Government Agency (FDA, USDA, EPA, FCC) is involved. - Continuous Activity Code 1 importer bond: 10% of prior-12-month duties, taxes and fees, rounded up to the next $10,000 (under $1M duties) or $100,000 (over $1M); statutory minimum $50,000; must also cover the duty on the largest single shipment. - Single transaction bond covers one entry at one port; continuous bond covers all entries at all ports for 12 months and self-renews. - Clean standard files typically reach bond-on-file at CBP in 1–3 business days. - Authority: 19 CFR Part 113 and CBP Form 301. ## Pages - [Home / all sections](https://customs-bonds.com/): what a customs bond does, all 17 activity codes, bond sizing, how to apply, FAQ, online application. - [Full plain-text version](https://customs-bonds.com/llms-full.txt) - [Versión en español](https://customs-bonds.com/es/) · [llms.txt en español](https://customs-bonds.com/es/llms.txt) ## Activity code pages (one per CBP activity code) - [Activity Code 1 — Importer or Broker Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-1-importer-broker-bond/): Activity Code 1 is the basic importation and entry bond every importer of record needs. Continuous or single transaction, sized at 10% of prior-year duties with a $50,000 minimum. Underwritten in-house by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 1A — Drawback Payment Refunds Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-1a-drawback-bond/): Activity Code 1A secures accelerated drawback refunds paid by CBP before liquidation. Continuous bonds start at $50,000; single transaction bonds are keyed to the claim. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 2 — Custodian of Bonded Merchandise Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-2-custodian-bonded-merchandise-bond/): Activity Code 2 is the continuous custodial bond for bonded warehouses, in-bond carriers, cartmen, lightermen, container freight stations and centralized examination stations. $25,000 minimum. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 3 — International Carrier Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-3-international-carrier-bond/): Activity Code 3 is required of vessel, aircraft, rail and truck operators arriving in the U.S. with international cargo. Covers manifesting, advance manifest, overtime services and CBP clearance. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 3A — Instruments of International Traffic Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-3a-instruments-international-traffic-bond/): Activity Code 3A lets containers, chassis, pallets, lift vans and other reusable equipment enter and leave the U.S. repeatedly without formal entry or duty. May be combined with Activity Code 3. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 4 — Foreign Trade Zone Operator Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-4-foreign-trade-zone-operator-bond/): Activity Code 4 is the continuous bond every FTZ operator posts to guarantee zone recordkeeping, security, merchandise accounting and ISF obligations. Sized to throughput and inventory. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 5 — Public Gauger & Commercial Laboratory Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-5-public-gauger-bond/): Activity Code 5 is required of CBP-accredited gaugers and commercial laboratories whose measurements and tests determine the duty on bulk imports such as petroleum, chemicals and grain. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 6 — Wool, Fur & Textile Fiber Labeling Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-6-wool-fur-textile-labeling-bond/): Activity Code 6 is a single transaction bond posted when textile, wool or fur goods arrive without compliant labeling. It guarantees the goods will be brought into compliance, redelivered or exported. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 7 — Bill of Lading Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-7-bill-of-lading-bond/): Activity Code 7 is a single transaction bond posted to obtain release of cargo when the original bill of lading is lost, delayed or unavailable. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 8 — Detention of Copyrighted Material Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-8-detention-copyrighted-material-bond/): Activity Code 8 is a single transaction bond an importer posts to obtain conditional release of merchandise CBP has detained on suspicion of copyright infringement. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 9 — Neutrality Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-9-neutrality-bond/): Activity Code 9 is a rarely used single transaction bond required under U.S. neutrality statutes when a departing vessel or aircraft must guarantee it will not be used against a nation at peace with the United States. - [Activity Code 10 — Court Costs for Condemned Goods Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-10-court-costs-condemned-goods-bond/): Activity Code 10 is a single transaction bond a claimant posts to contest a CBP seizure in judicial forfeiture proceedings, covering the government's court costs if the seizure is sustained. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 11 — Airport Customs Security Area Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-11-airport-customs-security-area-bond/): Activity Code 11 is the continuous bond required of cleaners, caterers, fuelers, maintenance and ground-handling contractors needing access to the customs security area of an international airport. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 12 — ITC Exclusion Order Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-12-itc-exclusion-order-bond/): Activity Code 12 lets an importer enter merchandise subject to a Section 337 ITC exclusion order during the presidential review period. Filed on a separate instrument under Appendix B, not Form 301. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 14 — In-Bond Export Consolidation Bond (Legacy)](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-14-in-bond-export-consolidation-bond/): Activity Code 14 covered in-bond export consolidation. CBP retired routine use of the code in 2022; it survives only in legacy bonds and historic claims. Guidance for principals with runoff obligations. - [Activity Code 15 — Intellectual Property Rights Sample Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-15-ipr-sample-bond/): Activity Code 15 is posted by trademark and copyright owners to receive samples of merchandise CBP has detained for suspected infringement. Now available as a continuous bond covering all ports. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 16 — Importer Security Filing (ISF / 10+2) Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-16-importer-security-filing-isf-bond/): Activity Code 16 secures the timely, accurate transmission of Importer Security Filing (10+2) data on ocean cargo. Most importers are covered by their Activity Code 1 bond; standalone ISF bonds serve non-importer filers. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. - [Activity Code 17 — Marine Terminal Operator Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/activity-code-17-marine-terminal-operator-bond/): Activity Code 17 is the continuous bond a marine terminal operator posts to guarantee cargo accounting, holds and releases, redelivery and recordkeeping at a U.S. seaport. Filed on a separate instrument, not Form 301. Underwritten by Customs-Bonds.com. ## Guides & references - [Continuous Bond vs. Single Transaction Bond](https://customs-bonds.com/continuous-vs-single-transaction-customs-bond/): How a continuous customs bond and a single transaction bond (STB) differ in coverage, cost, sizing and renewal, and how to choose between them. Side-by-side comparison from Customs-Bonds.com. - [How CBP Sets Customs Bond Amounts](https://customs-bonds.com/customs-bond-amount-sizing/): The formula CBP uses to size continuous importer bonds (10% of prior-year duties, $50,000 minimum, rounding rules), single transaction bonds, custodial and drawback bonds, and how tariff changes affect sufficiency. - [CBP Bond Insufficiency Notices: What to Do](https://customs-bonds.com/cbp-bond-insufficiency-notice/): What a CBP customs bond insufficiency notice is, why it is issued, the cure window, how to size the replacement bond, and what happens if you do not act. Practical guidance from Customs-Bonds.com. - [ISF (10+2) Bonds Explained](https://customs-bonds.com/isf-10-plus-2-bond/): What the Importer Security Filing rule requires, when the ISF bond is absorbed by a continuous importer bond, when a standalone Activity Code 16 bond is needed, and how ISF liquidated damages work. - [Customs Bonds for Start-Ups and Impaired Credit](https://customs-bonds.com/non-standard-customs-bond-underwriting/): How Customs-Bonds.com underwrites customs bonds for start-ups, thinly capitalized importers, principals with credit issues and high-duty merchandise: collateral, guarantees, and what CBP accepts. - [Customs Bonds for Brokers, Forwarders and NVOCCs](https://customs-bonds.com/customs-bonds-for-customs-brokers-and-forwarders/): Which customs bonds licensed customs brokers, freight forwarders and NVOCCs need themselves, how they place bonds for clients, and how Customs-Bonds.com works with intermediaries. - [Customs Bond Glossary](https://customs-bonds.com/customs-bond-glossary/): Plain-English definitions of the terms that recur in customs bond work: activity code, penal sum, liquidated damages, rider, insufficiency notice, Circular 570, ISF, drawback, in-bond, and more. ## Practitioner's guide (free, by C. Constantin Poindexter, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ARe, ASLI) - [English PDF](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide.pdf) · [DOCX](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide.docx) - [Español PDF](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide-es.pdf) · [DOCX](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide-es.docx) - [中文 PDF](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide-zh.pdf) · [DOCX](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide-zh.docx) - [हिन्दी PDF](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide-hi.pdf) · [DOCX](https://customs-bonds.com/guides/customs-bonds-guide-hi.docx) ## Author / authority C. Constantin Poindexter — founder of Surety One, Inc., CEO of Janus Assurance Re, licensed attorney, 30+ years surety and reinsurance underwriting. https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantinpoindexter/ · https://constantinpoindexter.com/ ## Related - Surety One blog: https://suretyone.com/blog/ --- # Full page content (customs-bonds.com, reviewed September 22, 2026) Every commercial shipment crossing the U.S. border needs a customs bond on file with Customs and Border Protection. Customs-Bonds.com underwrites continuous and single transaction bonds directly — for importers, licensed brokers, ocean and air carriers, bonded warehouses, foreign trade zones, and marine terminals. Standard and non-standard programs. Decisions in hours, not weeks. ## What a Customs Bond Actually Does ### Key facts - A customs bond is required whenever commercial merchandise valued over $2,500 enters U.S. commerce, and at any value when a Partner Government Agency (FDA, USDA, EPA, FCC) is involved. - A continuous importer bond (Activity Code 1) is sized at 10% of the prior twelve months' duties, taxes and fees, rounded up to the next $10,000 (under $1M) or $100,000 (over $1M), with a $50,000 minimum. - A single transaction bond covers one entry at one port; a continuous bond covers every entry at every port for twelve months and self-renews. - Clean standard files are typically on file with CBP in 1–3 business days. - Governed by 19 CFR Part 113 and executed on CBP Form 301. Terms defined in the glossary. — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-113 A customs bond is the federal government's way of guaranteeing it gets paid. When an importer brings regulated cargo into the United States, CBP does not release that cargo on trust alone — a licensed surety stands behind the importer, promising to make CBP whole if duties, taxes, fees, or penalties go unpaid or if import regulations are broken. Customs-Bonds.com is that surety. Mechanically, the bond is a contract among three parties, authorized by 19 U.S.C. § 1623 and governed by 19 CFR Part 113. The importer (or broker, carrier, or warehouse operator) is the principal. CBP is the obligee, the party being protected. The surety is the financial guarantor behind the whole arrangement. If the principal defaults, the surety pays CBP and then pursues the principal for reimbursement. Two formats exist. A single transaction bond covers one shipment at one port on one day. A continuous bond covers every shipment the principal files for an entire year, at any U.S. port, and renews by itself. Importers with more than a handful of entries per year find continuous bonds dramatically cheaper and easier to administer. ### A Three-Party Agreement The principal is bonded, CBP is protected, and the surety backs the promise with real capital. ### One Shipment or One Year Single transaction bonds handle a one-off entry. Continuous bonds cover every filing for twelve rolling months. ### Non-Standard Underwriting Too Start-ups, thinly capitalized firms, and principals with impaired credit can qualify through our non-standard program. ### Compliance Built In Every bond we write satisfies CBP regulations, including Importer Security Filing (ISF / 10+2) where applicable. ## Customs Bonds We Underwrite CBP separates regulated trade activity into numbered categories called activity codes. Customs-Bonds.com writes every one of them in-house — no brokered placements, no guesswork about which surety will answer on your file. ### Importer & Broker The standard bond for anyone moving commercial goods into U.S. commerce. Guarantees correct duty, tax and fee deposits and compliance with the statutes and regulations governing entry (conditions at 19 CFR § 113.62). Issued on a continuous, self-renewing basis. ### Drawback Payment Refunds Underwrites accelerated drawback claims — refunds of duties already paid on merchandise that is later exported or destroyed. Exporters filing under exporter's summary or accelerated payment procedures need this bond on file before the refund is released. ### Custodian of Bonded Merchandise Required of any operator holding cargo that has not yet been formally entered: Class 1 through 11 bonded warehouses, cartmen, lightermen, container freight stations, and importers self-storing bonded goods. ### International Carrier For ocean vessels, commercial aircraft, trucking firms and rail operators moving international cargo into U.S. ports. Covers manifest accuracy, overtime-service payments, and all CBP clearance obligations. ### Instruments of International Traffic Written for container owners and lessors. Lets reusable transport equipment — containers, chassis, pallets, racks — enter and leave U.S. territory repeatedly without separate entries or duty payments on each trip. ### Foreign Trade Zone Operator FTZ sites are treated as outside the customs territory of the United States. Foreign goods may be received, stored, manipulated or re-exported without paying duties until they formally enter commerce. This bond also carries Importer Security Filing obligations for zone operators. ### Public Gauger Mandatory for CBP-accredited gaugers and commercial laboratories that sample, measure, weigh or test imported merchandise as part of the duty-assessment process. ### Wool, Fur & Textile Fiber Labeling Secures the labeling duties imposed by the Wool Products Labeling Act, the Fur Products Labeling Act and the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act on imported textile and fur goods. ### Bill of Lading Backs the carrier's duty to properly handle and document bills of lading for imported merchandise, protecting cargo owners and CBP against mis-delivery or undocumented release. ### Detention of Copyrighted Material When CBP holds a shipment suspected of infringing a registered copyright, the importer posts this bond to cover potential liability while admissibility is decided. ### Neutrality A specialized instrument tied to U.S. neutrality laws governing vessels and aircraft during foreign armed conflicts. Rarely written, but available when needed. ### Court Costs for Condemned Goods Secures court costs and related judicial expenses when CBP-seized or condemned merchandise is subject to forfeiture proceedings. ### Airport Customs Security Area Written for third-party vendors — cleaners, caterers, maintenance crews, ground handlers — requiring access to the customs-controlled side of an international airport. ### ITC Exclusion Order Bond Lets importers continue bringing in merchandise subject to an International Trade Commission exclusion order during the sixty-day presidential review window, while the bond backstops potential penalties and duties. ### In-Bond Export Consolidation Historically posted by consolidators moving export cargo under bond. CBP retired routine use of Activity Code 14 in 2022; it survives only in legacy bonds and runoff claims. Today's in-bond export consolidation is covered under Activity Code 2. ### Intellectual Property Rights Sample Allows CBP to turn over samples of detained merchandise to a rights-holder for infringement testing. The bond protects the importer against loss or damage to those samples. ### Importer Security Filing (ISF) Secures compliance with CBP's “10+2” Importer Security Filing rule requiring advance cargo data for ocean shipments before they depart for U.S. ports. Liquidated damages for non-compliant filings start at $5,000 per filing and climb from there. ### Marine Terminal Operator Issued to operators of marine terminals that receive, handle or store imported cargo on behalf of ocean carriers. Covers regulatory obligations tied to cargo custody and security at the terminal. ## How Much Bond Do You Actually Need? Undersized bonds trigger CBP insufficiency notices and cargo holds. Oversized bonds waste capital and inflate premiums. Getting the number right is its own discipline. CBP's rule for a continuous Activity Code 1 bond (19 CFR § 113.13 and CBP's bond-sufficiency directives) is straightforward on paper: take the duties, taxes and fees the importer paid over the prior twelve months and multiply by ten percent. Round up to the next $10,000 increment if that total is below $1 million, or to the next $100,000 increment if it is above. The statutory floor sits at $50,000. But the formula is only half of the sufficiency question — the bond must also be large enough to absorb the duty exposure on any one shipment. A single high-value container that exceeds the bonded amount can jam up the entry and trigger CBP correspondence. ### ⚠ Got an insufficiency notice? CBP issues these when bond capacity no longer matches your trade volume. Do not simply accept the amount printed on the notice. Project the next twelve months of duty exposure with a licensed broker, choose a replacement bond comfortably above that projection, and file a rider or replacement before CBP starts rejecting entries. Waiting costs real money. Round up to $10K (under $1M duties) or $100K (above $1M). CBP statutory floor: $50,000. Must independently cover the duty on the largest single shipment. ## How to Apply The process is deliberately light. Send your application package to underwriting@customs-bonds.com and one of our underwriters will open your file the same business day. ### Pull Your Documents Together Complete our customs bond application and credit release (the bond itself is executed on CBP Form 301). Have your CBP importer number (or CBP broker license number), entity formation paperwork, and most recent financial statements ready. ### Send It to Underwriting Email the full package to underwriting@customs-bonds.com. We acknowledge every submission the same day and flag anything missing up front so the file does not stall. ### Review the Quote You will receive a firm quote sized to your duty history and bond type. Principals who would not qualify under standard underwriting are routed into our non-standard program — which remains CBP-acceptable. ### Bond Issued and Filed Once premium is received, we issue the bond, transmit it to CBP, and deliver your executed copy. Continuous bonds renew automatically each year unless you tell us otherwise. ### What to Have Ready ## Customs Bond FAQ It is a federal surety instrument that CBP requires before regulated cargo enters U.S. commerce. Three parties sign on: the principal (importer, broker, carrier, warehouse, etc.), the obligee (CBP), and the surety (the underwriter guaranteeing the principal's obligations). If the principal fails to pay duties or follow the rules, the surety pays CBP and then pursues the principal. A bond is required whenever commercial merchandise valued above $2,500 enters for consumption, or whenever goods of any value are subject to a Partner Government Agency requirement such as FDA, USDA, EPA or FCC oversight. Informal and personal entries below those thresholds generally do not need a bond. Continuous if you import more than three or four times a year or file at multiple ports. The continuous bond covers everything for twelve months and renews itself. Single transaction bonds still make sense for genuine one-offs — a first shipment, a sample run, an infrequent import. For Activity Code 1 continuous bonds, CBP uses ten percent of the duties, taxes and fees paid in the most recent twelve months, rounded up to $10,000 (duties under $1M) or $100,000 (duties over $1M). The minimum is $50,000, and the bond must also cover the duty on any single shipment. Yes. Our non-standard underwriting program exists specifically for new importers, thinly capitalized firms, and principals with credit issues. We may require collateral, a personal guarantee, or a modified rate, but the bond remains CBP-acceptable — it clears cargo exactly like a standard bond does. Move fast, and do not take the minimum amount on the letter at face value. Project your next twelve months of duty exposure with a licensed broker, choose a replacement bond comfortably above that projection, and file the rider or new bond before CBP starts rejecting entries. Delay produces cargo holds, liquidated damages, and in bad cases a suspension of filing privileges. Importer Security Filing, also called “10+2,” is the rule requiring advance cargo data for ocean-borne shipments before the vessel sails for a U.S. port. The bond secures the filer's compliance. Each missed, late, or inaccurate filing can draw liquidated damages of $5,000 or more, so the bond protects both CBP and the importer's continued trade access. Clean standard files typically move from application to bond-on-file at CBP within one to three business days. Non-standard files may take slightly longer while collateral or guarantees are arranged. Urgent situations — cargo at the port, an imminent sail date — are flagged and handled first. ### Primary Sources - 19 CFR Part 113 — CBP Bonds (eCFR) — the regulation governing every activity code, including bond conditions at §§ 113.61–113.75 — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-113 - 19 CFR § 113.13 — Amount of bond — CBP's authority to set and review bond sufficiency — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-113/subpart-B/section-113.13 - 19 U.S.C. § 1623 — Bonds and other security — statutory authority for CBP bonds — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1623 - CBP Form 301 — Customs Bond (PDF) — the instrument on which every single transaction and continuous bond is executed — https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/cbp_form_301.pdf - CBP — Importer Security Filing (10+2) — ISF program page, filing requirements and enforcement — https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/cargo-security/importer-security-filing-102 - CBP — A Guide for the Public: How CBP Sets Bond Amounts (PDF) — the sizing methodology for every activity code — https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSCBP/2024/02/13/file_attachments/2782412/FINAL_A%20Guide%20for%20the%20Public_How%20CBP%20Sets%20Bond%20Amounts%20%28February%202024%29.pdf - Treasury Circular 570 — Certified surety companies — the Department of the Treasury list of sureties authorized on federal bonds — https://fiscal.treasury.gov/surety-bonds/circular-570.html ## The Definitive Reference, in Your Language Written by our founder, this 20-page guide explains every CBP activity code, bond sizing methodology, the post-Learning Resources v. Trump tariff landscape, and the full underwriting lifecycle. ### Every Activity Code Explained This guide is the resource we hand to importers, customs brokers, freight forwarders and trade counsel. It covers every bond class that CBP recognizes, the regulatory citations that govern each one, and the practical observations that three decades of underwriting have produced. The 2026 edition includes analysis of the Supreme Court's Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump decision and its downstream impact on bond sizing, insufficiency cures and drawback activity. ## Let's Get Your CargoMoving. Send us an application and a current financial and our underwriters will open the file today. Standard and non-standard programs handled under one roof. ## FAQ **Q: What exactly is a U.S. customs bond?** It is a federal surety instrument that CBP requires before regulated cargo enters U.S. commerce. Three parties sign on: the principal (importer, broker, carrier, warehouse, etc.), the obligee (CBP), and the surety (the underwriter guaranteeing the principal's obligations). If the principal fails to pay duties or follow the rules, the surety pays CBP and then pursues the principal. **Q: Is a bond mandatory for every shipment?** A bond is required whenever commercial merchandise valued above $2,500 enters for consumption, or whenever goods of any value are subject to a Partner Government Agency requirement such as FDA, USDA, EPA or FCC oversight. Informal and personal entries below those thresholds generally do not need a bond. **Q: Continuous bond or single transaction bond — which one?** Continuous if you import more than three or four times a year or file at multiple ports. The continuous bond covers everything for twelve months and renews itself. Single transaction bonds still make sense for genuine one-offs — a first shipment, a sample run, an infrequent import. **Q: How is my bond amount calculated?** For Activity Code 1 continuous bonds, CBP uses ten percent of the duties, taxes and fees paid in the most recent twelve months, rounded up to $10,000 (duties under $1M) or $100,000 (duties over $1M). The minimum is $50,000, and the bond must also cover the duty on any single shipment. **Q: My credit is rough. Can I still get bonded?** Yes. Our non-standard underwriting program exists specifically for new importers, thinly capitalized firms, and principals with credit issues. We may require collateral, a personal guarantee, or a modified rate, but the bond remains CBP-acceptable — it clears cargo exactly like a standard bond does. **Q: What should I do about a CBP insufficiency notice?** Move fast, and do not take the minimum amount on the letter at face value. Project your next twelve months of duty exposure with a licensed broker, choose a replacement bond comfortably above that projection, and file the rider or new bond before CBP starts rejecting entries. Delay produces cargo holds, liquidated damages, and in bad cases a suspension of filing privileges. **Q: What is the ISF bond really covering?** Importer Security Filing, also called “10+2,” is the rule requiring advance cargo data for ocean-borne shipments before the vessel sails for a U.S. port. The bond secures the filer's compliance. Each missed, late, or inaccurate filing can draw liquidated damages of $5,000 or more, so the bond protects both CBP and the importer's continued trade access. **Q: How long does a new bond take to issue?** Clean standard files typically move from application to bond-on-file at CBP within one to three business days. Non-standard files may take slightly longer while collateral or guarantees are arranged. Urgent situations — cargo at the port, an imminent sail date — are flagged and handled first.