Customs Bonds

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Clearing goods into the US requires a Customs bond.

A Customs bond is a legal contract between the importer, a surety company and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It ensures importer compliance with Customs regulations, guarantees that Customs receives payment of any potential duties, taxes and fees that may accrue, and allows Customs to clear a shipment without having to wait for additional payment. It is imperative to note that a bond is not insurance. If the surety company issues payment to CBP, the surety will seek reimbursement from the importer.

Avalon’s Surety Program ensures compliance with CBP regulations.

We act as a Managing General Agent for our sureties and write approximately 35% of all continuous bonds on file with CBP. We also provide Canadian import bonds through the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Avalon is ready to assist with your transportation surety needs. 

Customs Bond Calculator

$50,000

It is important that brokers help their importers to forecast duties, tax and fees for the next 12 months of activity. Customs only reviews bond sufficiency on a rolling 12-month retroactive basis (i.e. the last 12 months of activity). The increased bond amounts required in insufficiency letters from CBP will not contemplate additional tariffs that an importer may be subject to over the next 12 months.

Simply increasing to the minimum bond amount required by Customs at the time of the insufficiency letter may result in a bond repeatedly being rendered insufficient. Having open exposure in multiple bonds periods will cause a stacking liability exposure for the importer and the surety.

WITH AVALON, YOU RECEIVE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

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Merlin has cutting-edge surety technology for customs brokers. We continually release software updates with new features and enhancements, based on client feedback.

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Merlin Information Exchange (MIX) will efficiently manage your bond renewals.

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Merlin generates Customs bond reports to support importer compliance, including ISF data and bond aggregation. 

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Support client retention through our exclusive management reports including importer identity fraud alerts, automated email notifications for bond insufficiency and more.

Download Customs Bonds Application