Holds and detention coordination
A hold notice is a document with a specific request buried in it. The first job is working out what is actually being asked.
Licensed U.S. customs brokerage. Customs broker of record; movement coordinated through vetted partners.
An import hold occurs when CBP or a partner government agency prevents a shipment from being released pending review. Holds range from a documentary request to a formal detention with a response deadline. Resolving one requires identifying precisely what is being asked, supplying it in the expected form, and coordinating the cargo logistics while the review proceeds.
Key takeaways
- A hold is not a refusal — it is a pause pending information or inspection.
- Detention notices carry response deadlines that matter.
- Storage and demurrage accrue throughout, regardless of who is at fault.
- The response must address what was actually asked, which is not always what it appears to ask.
- Some outcomes require re-export or destruction, and those need coordinating too.
What we do first
Read the notice properly. Identify the issuing authority, the stated basis, what is being requested and by when. Then tell you plainly what it means, because these documents are not written to be easily understood by the person paying for the delay.
Then the logistics
Cargo access for inspection or sampling. Movement to an examination or sampling site. Warehouse and cold storage arrangements while the review runs. Tracking so you are not learning about developments from the terminal. And where the outcome requires it, coordination of re-export or destruction.
Where regulatory help is needed
Some holds stem from a registration, labelling or product-listing problem rather than from the entry itself. That is a regulatory matter rather than a brokerage one, and we will say so rather than billing you to work on something outside our scope.
How it works
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01
Notice read and explained
Authority, basis, request and deadline, in plain terms.
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02
Response assembled
Documents in the form expected, complete the first time.
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03
Cargo logistics arranged
Access, movement, storage — whatever the review requires.
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04
Status tracked
Daily, with updates from us rather than from the warehouse.
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05
Outcome coordinated
Release and delivery, or where required, re-export or destruction.
Common mistakes
- Waiting to see if it resolves itself. It does not, and deadlines run.
- Sending everything rather than what was asked. A bundle to be sifted delays the review.
- Missing a response deadline. On a detention this materially narrows the options.
- Ignoring storage exposure. The charges continue throughout and are payable regardless of outcome.
- Treating a regulatory problem as a paperwork problem. Different problem, different specialist.
Questions
What is the difference between a hold and a detention?
A hold is a general pause on release pending review. A detention is a formal action, usually with a written notice and a response period. Detentions are more serious and more time-bound.
How long can a shipment be held?
That is determined by the reviewing authority and the nature of the review. Laboratory analysis in particular can take considerable time. Nobody can give you a reliable timeline, and you should be sceptical of anyone who offers one.
Who pays for storage during a hold?
The importer. Storage, demurrage and examination charges are third-party costs payable regardless of why the shipment was held or how it is resolved.
Can you help if another broker filed the entry?
Yes. We regularly take over shipments already in difficulty, including cargo sitting at a terminal. Send the entry number and any notices issued.
Related
Tell us what you're importing.
Commodity, origin, port and arrival date is enough to start.