Prior Notice, filed and confirmed
Prior Notice fails for one reason more than any other: everyone assumed somebody else had filed it.
Licensed U.S. customs brokerage. Customs broker of record; movement coordinated through vetted partners.
Prior Notice is advance notification to FDA that a food shipment is arriving in the United States. It must be submitted before the goods arrive, within timeframes that vary by mode of transport. Any party with knowledge of the shipment may file it — the broker, the importer, or the foreign supplier's agent — which is precisely why responsibility must be agreed in writing rather than assumed.
Key takeaways
- Prior Notice applies to food for humans and animals, including many ingredients.
- Submission windows differ by transport mode; air and truck are tighter than ocean.
- Any party with knowledge of the shipment may file it — so nobody automatically does.
- An inaccurate Prior Notice causes the same problem as a missing one.
- Confirmation numbers should be retained with the entry records.
Who actually files it
Regulations permit several parties to submit Prior Notice. In practice that flexibility is the risk: the importer assumes the broker handled it, the broker assumes the supplier's agent did, and the shipment arrives without one.
We settle it in writing at booking. If we are filing, we file and send you the confirmation. If another party is filing, we confirm it was actually submitted rather than taking the intention as done.
What goes wrong beyond simply missing it
Prior Notice carries product, manufacturer, shipper and arrival details. If those do not match what eventually arrives — a changed vessel, a substituted manufacturer, a different quantity — the notice is inaccurate, and an inaccurate notice creates the same delay as an absent one. Changes in transit need the notice updated, not ignored.
How it works
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01
Responsibility agreed
Decided and recorded in writing at booking, not left to assumption.
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02
Data assembled
Product, manufacturer, shipper, arrival details and the entry particulars.
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03
Submitted within the window
Timed against the mode of transport and actual departure.
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04
Confirmation retained
The confirmation number is filed with the entry records.
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05
Changes tracked
If the vessel, quantity or manufacturer changes, the notice is updated.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the supplier filed it. The most common cause of a Prior Notice problem, by some distance.
- Filing from the booking rather than the reality. If details changed in transit, the notice is wrong.
- Missing the window on air freight. Air timeframes are far tighter than ocean.
- Not keeping the confirmation. If you cannot evidence it, expect to be treated as if it was never filed.
- Treating it as separate from the entry. It is part of the same picture and should be prepared with it.
Questions
Who is responsible for filing Prior Notice?
Any party with the required knowledge of the shipment may submit it — commonly the customs broker, the importer, or the foreign supplier's agent. Because more than one party can, none automatically does. Agree it in writing before departure.
What happens if Prior Notice is missing?
The shipment will not be admitted until the situation is resolved, and cargo accrues storage meanwhile. Depending on circumstances it may need to be held, refused or re-exported. It is entirely avoidable and expensive when it is not avoided.
Does Prior Notice apply to samples?
Food samples are generally still food. Small quantity does not by itself remove the requirement, and assuming it does is a common and costly error.
Can Prior Notice be corrected after filing?
Details can be updated, and should be when a shipment changes. What cannot be fixed retroactively is a notice that was never submitted at all before arrival.
Related
Tell us what you're importing.
Commodity, origin, port and arrival date is enough to start.