Customs are an essential part of international trade. Are you familiar with the requirements for your shipments to stay compliant and effectively move your goods across borders?
During importing and exporting, let’s explore the most common customs documentation mistakes. Common pitfalls in customs paperwork and strategies to prevent them and ensure your shipments stay compliant, avoiding delays, fees, and other issues.
Common Customs Documentation Mistakes
Besides becoming familiar with the regulations required for global commerce in each country you’re dealing with, knowing the requirements needed for proper paperwork submission is also essential.
Errors in documentation lead not only to penalties but also increase the risk of shipment retention and unnecessary additional fees.
Here are the most common customs documentation mistakes:
- Customs declaration errors
- Shipping paperwork inaccuracies
- Misclassification in customs entries
- Incomplete forms
- Incorrect details
- Missing support documentation.
- Errors in trade compliance
As a trusted 3PL with experience in international trade, at EP Logistics we help your businesses avoid these errors through expert customs brokerage that takes care of ensuring the proper filing and submission of your customs documentation.
Consequences of Documentation Errors
Documentation errors in international trade lead to severe consequences, like:
- Delays
- Shipment retentions
- Penalties
- Higher fees for extended storage, transportation, and other hired services
- Rejection of the shipment at the border
The Impact of incorrect customs forms on import/export operations overall causes a loss of profit and a waste of resources.
This is why, as your trusted logistics company, we take the moving of your goods across borders seriously.
With wide expertise on the U.S. and Mexico’s customs requirements and regulations, we ensure your filing is accurate and complete to minimize the risks of disruptions to your operations.
Tips for Accurate Customs Paperwork
Making sure that all of your documentation is complete, correctly filled in, and filed is crucial not only for your business profits but also for overall supply chain efficiency.
Here are some of the best practices for completing customs documents to prevent delays and minimize the risk of falling into one of the common customs documentation pitfalls:
- Double-check all forms. Minimize the risk of customs paperwork mistakes by verifying at least twice the details of your paperwork before submitting it.
- Understand product classifications. Become familiar with the proper classification of goods. Referring to the Harmonized System (HS) codes informs you of the Consequences of misclassification in customs documentation and how to avoid it.
- Take advantage of technology. Nowadays, many different digital and online tools can help you with your documentation, reducing the risk of inaccurate customs filings.
- Partner up with an experienced team. Allowing a team of expert custom brokers to work with you will ensure everything is accurately handled on your behalf, avoiding headaches.
Our expert custom brokerage services, at EP Logistics, include everything from guiding you to better understand the customs process and the specific requirements for the countries you are dealing with, to assistance with bonded shipments, document preparation, and submission.
Role of Customs Brokers
A customs broker is a certified agent who is highly knowledgeable in the customs processes, regulations, and requirements. They are an important player to have in your team if you’re dealing with global commerce.
Your customs broker will:
- Oversee all the steps involved for your shipments to smoothly cross the borders
- Guide you through any challenges that might arise
- Help you avoid any import/export documentation issues and customs declaration errors
At EP Logistics, our team of brokers has many years of experience helping businesses like yours easily move their goods internationally. We specialize in customs processes across the U.S. and Mexico borders.
Checklist for Avoiding Customs Mistakes
Avoiding common customs documentation mistakes is easy with the proper team and knowledge of basic requirements.
Here is a checklist to help you revise if your documentation is ready and accurately filed before submission:
- Ensure nothing is missing to be filled in in any form.
- Verify the classification of the shipped goods to prevent misclassification in customs entries.
- Confirm your shipment’s compliance with C TPAT standards and any country-specific regulations.
- Take advantage of FTZ Foreign Trade Zones for duty deferral opportunities.
- Look for professional guidance for complex filings.
By working with us, you can have peace of mind knowing that all of your documentation is being taken care of by professionals, avoiding delays, penalties, and other fees.
With EP Logistics, the moving of your goods across borders becomes an easy task, ensuring your shipments always stay compliant and arrive on time to their next destination.
Case Studies: Real-World Customs Errors
Let’s explore what some of these common customs documentation mistakes look like in the real world and how they affect international business:
Case Study 1: Misclassified Electronics
A business in the electronics industry misclassified its goods under a lower tariff rate. Upon customs revision, they had to properly re-do the documentation and face fines and delays with their shipment.
At EP Logistics, the classification of goods is one of our main focuses as your customs broker, we can help you ensure your shipments are accurately classified avoiding mistakes in customs declaration errors.
Case Study 2: Missing Import Permits
We can look into another example where a business in the food industry, agriculture, failed to obtain the necessary permits for this type of industry.
This resulted in shipment confiscation at the borders and high urgent, unplanned fees to resolve the situation.
By using our customs brokerage services at EP Logistics, we help you implement strategies for cross-border freight to avoid mistakes, and we oversee all the required documentation and assist you with permits needed to avoid any delays, retentions, and profit loss.
Partner with EP Logistics
Avoid falling into any of the common customs documentation mistakes by partnering with us at EP Logistics.
With over 20 years of experience, our highly knowledgeable team of customs brokers will help you ensure your shipments stay compliant at all times and reach their destinations on time,
We offer you guidance for better-informed decisions with everything related to moving your goods across borders, from expert custom brokerage services to knowing the difference between freight forwarder vs customs broker, we got you covered.
Contact us today at EP Logistics to learn more about our customs brokerage services and enable your business to handle global trade easily and more effectively.
