USPS Custom Clearance Process
All the emails which are sent from outside the United States are subjected to go through a customs clearance process so that taxes, duties, and other fees can be ascertained according to the U. S national laws. The recipient must clear all the customs duties before mailing.
The customs clearance process for merchants is explained below-
Examination Of Custom Clearance Paperwork- The sender has to fill out the appropriate customs form with correct information and they must include the shipping label and commercial invoice. The commercial invoice consists of the details of the sender, receiver, export date, and the mode of sending; therefore it must be attached with the mail.
Assessing Custom And Import Duties, Taxes Etc- The import duties vary with the kind of item sent, the price of the item, item falling under the specific import requirements of the U. S. There is a minimum import value that is decided by every country if the item surpasses that limit import duty is charged on such item. For example, if a certain item has a minimum value of 200 dollars then if the sender exceeds the limit of 200 dollars they will be charged with import duty.
IF Payment Of Such Duties Is Not Complied With, Then Request For Compilation Is Made- If the payment of duties on the item is due or if the item contains a certain fee irrespective of the import duty criteria, then the customs officer makes sure to inform the sender. The sender can avoid the problem by carefully choosing the shipment method. There can be two methods: delivery duty paid (DDP) and delivery duty unpaid(DDU). The DDP method is preferred because in this method the custom charges are paid by the brokers who process the item and hence the delivery is not delayed due to customs clearance. Whereas in the DDU method the custom officer sends the item to the independent custom broker who recovers the duties from the recipient of the item therefore it takes more time and is a costly method of shipping because the final shipping amount cannot be determined.
After Payment Of All Duties The Shipment Is Cleared For Delivery- Once the customs clearance is done the item is dispatched to the respective service and transported the items from the courier office to its required destination. Customs clearance usually takes twenty-four hours or less, if there is no faulty paperwork found.
Important Paperwork For Customer Clearance
There are 10 important document that needs to be attached with the courier for international shipping, otherwise, the courier will get stuck in the shipment process for a longer time-
Purchase order- determine what to deliver and its cost. Commercial invoice- detail of transaction required for freight shipping. Bill of lading- details of the item shipped, to make sure that the items are legally approved. Export packing list- for clearing inspection and solving conflicts between sender and carrier. Air Waybill- important document if the shipment is done through airways. Letter of credit- provides a monetary guarantee for the transaction. Warehouse receipt- for confirming the condition of the courier. Certificate of origin- proof that the sender has cleared all the customs duties of their country. Insurance certificate- to avoid monetary losses during a loss in transit. export license- required for exporting a certain category of goods.
PS Form 2976-R, USPS Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note should be filled and posted to the nearest post office, attached with the item. A USPS employee enters the data from Form 2976-R and prints out the correct customs form and postage.
Conclusion
USPS stands for United States Postal Services, it facilitates postal services within the United States. This company holds a monopoly over the letter mailing system within the United States, While it still faces competition in courier delivery systems. If the sender wants to send the courier within the boundaries of the United States, then there are not many legal requirements needed whereas if the sender wants to send the courier outside the United States then it is necessary to clear all the customs duty otherwise the parcel will be stuck in transit. The sender needs to fill out the customs form from the USPS website and attach all necessary documents with it so that the customs clearance is done smoothly.
How long does USPS take for custom clearance?
If there is no faulty paperwork found during the customs clearance process, the package is released after recording the duty amount to the USPS. Generally, it takes 30 to 45 days.
How to find out if my package is stuck in the custom?
The US customs and border protection department sent an email informing you about the detainment of your package. You will be notified within a few days.
