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Glossary

Continuous Customs Bond

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Glossary

A customs bond is required to import goods into the United States, as a form of insurance to protect the U.S. Treasury. A continuous customs bond will cover all of your import shipments for one year.

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What is a customs bond?

A customs bond is a form of insurance to protect the U.S. Treasury in the event an importer fails to pay the duties, taxes, and fines or fees incurred on their imports. Customs bonds are purchased from government-licensed surety companies (financial entities that specialize in these types of bonds). Flexport requires that shippers use a continuous customs bond only.

What is a continuous customs bond?

A continuous customs bond is a customs bond that will cover all imported shipments for one year from the date of issue. Flexport requires that importers ship under a continuous customs bond.

The continuous customs bond does NOT cover the customs clearance fee. You will be charged a customs clearance fee for every shipment.

What types of bonds are there?

A single entry bond, which can only be used once
A continuous entry bond, which will cover all your import shipments for one year from the date of issue.

Flexport requires that importers ship under a continuous customs bond.

Note: A continuous entry bond can be used by multiple customs brokers should an importer utilize different brokers in different U.S. markets.

How can I purchase a continuous customs bond?

You can purchase a continuous customs bond through Flexport at a lower rate than what most brokers charge. If you’re interested in setting this up, please let us know, and we'll get the process rolling!

Note that the continuous customs bond does NOT cover the customs clearance fee. You will be charged a customs clearance fee for every shipment.

Can Flexport help me renew my continuous customs bond?

If you need to renew your customs bond, your dedicated account management team can take care of that for you. (We’ll remind you about a month before your bond renewal date.)