Customs Issues on Tracking Information (2024)

FAQs

What does held in customs mean on USPS tracking? ›

Shipments are held in customs to ensure they satisfy export or import customs regulations. A held shipment may have missing or incomplete paperwork, be waiting for clearance instructions or the authorities may need more information to clear the goods.

Missing or incorrect paperwork, outstanding duties and taxes, or dangerous or prohibited items are the main reasons why packages get stuck in customs.

The best way to do this is generally through the courier's website, where you will be able to find out what is happening. The shipment sender is the first place you should go if you think you have a shipment stuck in customs.

If CBP has detained your package for some reason (for example, lack of a proper invoice, bill of sale, or other documentation, a possible trademark violation, or if the package requires a formal entry) the CBP International Mail Branch holding it will notify you of the reason for detention (in writing) and how you can ...

My item is being held by U.S. customs. What happens next? Customs issues and regulations are outside the control of the United States Postal Service®. If your mailpiece is being held in Customs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has 45 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) to process an item.

Remember, just because customs can only “hold” your package for five days doesn't mean you can expect to clear customs within five days. If customs is congested, it may take several days (or even weeks) to clear customs simply because the line for customs is that long.

There are many reasons why a package can be stopped in customs: The customs in the delivery country require more information. The paperwork is not done as required. The package contains any prohibited or restricted items.

Call the CBP INFO Center at (877) CBP-5511 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m Eastern time, Monday - Friday. If you are outside the United States, call +1 (202) 325-8000. (Telecommunications device for the hearing impaired: Please dial 7-1-1. The U.S. also has a national 7-1-1 service).

A package can be held in customs due to Customs or Clearance delay. Such delays occur due to variety of reasons; the following are some examples: Missing documentation. Incomplete, missing, or inaccurate information on documentation.

the shipment is not eligible for tracking (the tracking number starts with an L); the parcel hasn't been scanned into the system yet; the parcel has already left the United States, but hasn't yet arrived in the destination country; the parcel has been lost.

Who do I contact if my package is stuck in customs? ›

If your shipment in stuck in customs, first check with your carrier and make sure there are no unpaid taxes. Should you come across unpaid taxes, pay them. If that doesn't work, your next point of contact is the shipper.

If you are shipping a package internationally and you see a tracking scan such as 'Customs Clearance' or 'Held by Customs' this means the recipient should have been contacted by customs to make payment of any duty owed in order to release the package for delivery.

Shipping packages may be seized at the “port” if they have been illegally transported (not complying with all the rules and regulations) or their custom duties are paid incorrectly. In such cases, importers of banned or illegal goods may be arrested and imprisoned from being involved in shipping such items.

Usually, confiscation occurs when goods are deemed counterfeit, prohibited or illegal in the country, or when false declarations are knowingly made. A shipment may also be confiscated not only in the destination country where customs clearance takes place, but also at transit points through which the shipment passes.

As a general rule, if it is contraband, the postal service inspectors will send a notice to the sender and the recipient stating that their package has been seized as contraband and unless they respond and want to appeal any seizure, the USPS will keep and then destroy the package.

Often, shipments are held up in customs to check that the contents of the package and the value of the goods were declared accurately. There is little that can be done to stop or speed up these random checks and attempts to such may just be a waste of time.

Our new process will provide greater customer convenience as customers will now simply call the International Inquiry Center at 800-222-1811 to initiate an inquiry regarding international registered, recorded delivery, insured, and ordinary parcels.

Once everything has been paid, the shipment will be released, and the goods will be in free circulation in the country which means they can be delivered to the final delivery address and circulated without restrictions from there.