News Archives

CBP Proposes Requiring Importers to Maintain Records of Foreign Export Documentation

By Erik | September 30, 2026

Editorial illustration of global trade and customs bureaucracy: a vast, dim warehouse-like customs office with towering shelves of paper files, shipping manifests, and stamped documents stretching into the distance. In the foreground, a large wooden desk holds overlapping international shipping documents—commercial invoices, bills of lading, certificates of origin—covered in official stamps, red wax seals, and customs markings in multiple languages, with a magnifying glass resting on top as if under scrutiny. Beyond the desk, blurred cargo shipping containers and a cargo ship are visible through tall windows, along with a world map on the wall with shipping routes traced in red string connecting ports across continents. Lighting is cool and institutional, with dramatic shafts of light emphasizing the towering stacks of paperwork, conveying themes of regulatory scrutiny, international trade documentation, and bureaucratic complexity. Style: photorealistic, high-detail editorial photography, muted navy and gray tones with subtle red accents, shallow depth of field, serious and analytical mood, no visible text or legible writing on any documents.

CBP’s September 2026 advance notice of proposed rulemaking may require importers to obtain, retain, and possibly submit foreign export declarations, invoices, and certificates their suppliers filed abroad, comparing them against U.S. entries to detect undervaluation or transshipment. This article examines the proposal’s practical challenges, legitimate reasons for discrepancies, and how importers should prepare comments before the December 1, 2026 deadline.

CBP Voiding Importer of Record Numbers on September 18

By Erik | September 2, 2026

A tense customs warehouse at dusk, rows of stacked shipping containers halted before a border checkpoint gate, red warning lights glowing on an official inspection booth, a large digital stamp of a red "VOID" seal hovering translucently over stacked import paperwork and forms in the foreground, a uniformed customs officer reviewing documents on a clipboard near a chain-link fence, cranes frozen mid-motion in the background under an overcast sky, muted blue and gray industrial color palette conveying bureaucratic tension and urgency, photorealistic editorial illustration style, sharp shadows, cinematic lighting, no visible text or logos.

CBP will void importer of record numbers starting September 18, 2026, if Form 5106 data—physical address, email, or phone—doesn’t belong directly to the importer, immediately blocking imports. High-risk profiles include foreign IORs, DDP sales, and drop-shipping using third-party addresses. Importers should verify data and powers of attorney now to avoid stalled shipments.

New Section 301 Tariffs on Imports from 60 Economies Now in Effect

By Erik | July 25, 2026

A dramatic wide-angle editorial photograph of a busy international shipping port at dawn, with towering cargo container cranes silhouetted against an orange and blue sky. Stacked multicolored shipping containers fill the foreground, bearing flags or color-coded markings suggesting diverse countries of origin. In the middle ground, a large container ship is docked at the terminal. Customs officials in uniform review clipboards and tablets near a checkpoint gate, symbolizing regulatory oversight. The atmosphere is tense and industrial, conveying the weight of new trade policy enforcement. Photorealistic style with cinematic lighting, cool blue shadows contrasting with warm sunrise tones.

Effective July 24, 2026, the USTR imposed new Section 301 tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners covering roughly 99.4% of U.S. imports. The action includes a multi-tier tariff structure, exemptions for certain food, pharmaceutical, energy, and aerospace products, and a narrow in-transit window. Importers and companies relying on international supply chains should assess their exposure immediately.